BERKELEY 

ARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
•ORNIA 


RTH 

SCIENCES 
LI3RAPY 


HOUSE..  ..No.  52. 


REPORT 


RE-EXAMINATION 


ECONOMICAL    GEOLOGY 


MASSACHUSETTS. 


BY    EDWARD    HITCHCOCK, 


PROFESSOR  OF   CHEMISTRY   AND    NATURAL   HISTORY   IN   AMHER3T   COLLEGE. 


iSoston: 

OUT  TON   AND    WENT  WORTH,   STATE    PRINTERS, 


1333. 


EARTH 
SCIENCE3 

LIBRARY 


CONTENTS 


Objects  and  present  state  of  the  Survey,              *       ...  f  ..;    . ...*,.  Page  5 

1.  SOILS:  their  Origin  and  Nature,      ....        •  s_:         7 

Their  Classification,            .                                    ..;'-,.       »  .  8 

Mode  of  collecting  soils,            .        r    ,            «            »  -  •          13 

Methods  of  analysing  soils,             .       ,,  ,,           «,        -*  14 

Calcareous  Matter  in  the  soils  of  Massachusetts,         .  .          16 

Table  of  results  by  the  first  method  of  analysing  soils,    .  18 

Explanation  of  the  table,           *,        t . «..          »            .  .          20 

Magnesia  in  the  soils  of  Massachusetts,             ,   »K          .  28 

New  method  of  analysing  soils  by  Dr.  Dana,               ,f    '  .          29 

Rules  of  Analysis,             vf   .        .^        ,?       ,''*i-\t,        •  34 

Table  of  results  by  the  new  method,    .        '  V  ,        .  «          38 

Explanation  of  the  table,     .            .            .            .'•«.•  43 

Phosphate  of  Lime  in  all  our  soils,       .        .,,«'.         •  *          45 

Analysis  of  Western  soils,             V       ,    •            i->         ..*    ;  47 

Power  of  soils  to  absorb  water,             .         M'^  ..      ,.f  .  4.          49 

Power  of  soils  to  retain  water,       .         ,N.            ^;         .  50 

General  conclusions,      .            r  i       *  *»          «            *         >  f          52 

2.  MARLS  in  Berkshire  County,      .            .            t    .        ,            ^'  52 

Table  of  their  analysis,              i          ,  •-           *          •  •  '.  •          57 

In  what  quantity  and  mode  shall  Marl  be  used?               ,  59 

Theory  of  the  action  of  Lirne  upon  soils,  &c.             .          ;  „          59 

Practical  application  of  this  theory,           ..^    ,  .\*C        «    '  61 

3.  MARLY  CLAY,            .            .            .            .            .            .  ,  't:      63 

4.  CALCAREOUS  DILUVIUM,            .            .         .v^..        t., ,,         ,•  64 

5.  LIMESTONES  IN  MASSACHUSETTS,              '  .            ,            ,  .    ,      67 

Table  of  their  analysis,       .        ' "  \  '  •         .           v. '       ;  , '  68 

New  localities,               .  '        .           .         \V       - '"» '•  •          69 

Berkshire  Limestones,        . /(         .           .           *,  .;        •  71 

Magnesian  Limestone  in  agriculture,              ...       ^v,  .          72 

Limestones  in  the  eastern  part  of  Massachusetts,             .  74 

6.  GREEN  SAND:   its  localities,            ,            .            ».'.'          V  .          75 

Its  use  in  agriculture,          .         •  ..           .            ,            .'  79 

7.  CLAY  IN  AGRICULTURE,       ..            .            .            .  ".         ,  ,          81 

Analysis  of  several  clays  hi  Massachusetts,          v           *    .  82 

Theoiy  of  their  fertili2ing  power,         ...  82 


4  CONTENTS. 

8.  DECOMPOSING  FELDSPATHIC  AND  MICACEOUS  ROCKS,          .       Page  84 

9.  HYDRATE  or  SILICA,          .            .            .            .            .            .  85 

10.  SOURCES  OF  GEINE  OR  VEGETABLE  NUTRIMENT  IN  MASSACHUSETTS,    87 

Peat  Swamps,    .               .        f- •/'     [£•''"?        •            •  87 
Geic  Compound,  (Jlpothemite,)             .            .            .            .89 

Use  of  this  substance  as  a  paint,               ...  90 

11.  SUBSTANCES  YIELDING  BOTH  GEINE  AND  SALTS  OF  LIME,             .  91 

Marsh  Mud,            .            ...            .            .  91 

Muck  Sand,      .            .            .            ,  .         .            .            .  93 

Concluding  remarks  upon  Soils,             '.    .     '.           »''  101 

12.  FOSSIL  FUEL,         .            .            .        U*?VU     '   .  ::        .          ''".'  103 

Anthracite  Coal,                 .            .          V      '",.           .  103 

Exploration  of  the  Massachusetts  Mining  Company,  104 
Exploration  of  the  Mansfield  Coal  Company,  and  the 

Mansfield  Mining  Company,            \            .            .  109 

Diluvial  drift  of  Coal,             .        '.'  :.        **'V        '.  113 

Coal  J5ed  in  Foxborough,             .            •            -            ^  U^ 

Coal  Bed  in  Cumberland,  R.  I.         "',"'     "  V"      <J<lt"'  ]14 

Worcester  Coal,           ' " . !          .        '"V'        ^       V'fj  li6 

Bituminous  Coal,  West  Springfield,         .            .         '  .  ^  116 

Peat,                  ....        JSP     'y^_     '_ '.  118 

13.  METALLIC  ORES,          ....         'V '".!'*"  _.','  122 

Carbonate  of  Iron  in  Newbury,        ^'.' u        .           ^.          .  123 

Magnetic  Iron  in  Warwick,           .        -^  ^  -         f            ^  j24 

Chi-omite  of  Iron,        .            .        '  '  V ' "                    .            .  124 

Hematic  Iron  Ore,  (Limonite,)       ....  126 

Copperas,  (sulphate  of  iron,)  from  the  sulphuret  of  iron,  126 

Galena,  in  Uxbridge,                 .            ^   '        .            .            .  127 

Blende,  Galena,  and  Copper  Ore,  in  Russell,       .            .  127 

Galena,  Blende,  and  Titanium,  in  Norwich,              ^»            •  1*^7 

Galena,  in  West  Stockbridge  and  Alfcrd,          .,.'        '']•'''  127 

14.  OCHRES  AND  STONE  PAINTS,          .        "V       >'<;^'1    ''.    '        .  ]28 

15.  MOULDING  SAND,           •            .            .            .            .            .  329 

16.  PORCELAIN  AND  PIPE  CLAY,           .           •-       ".            .            .  130 

17.  CLAY  AS  A  SUBSTITUTE  FOR  FULLER'S  EARTH,         '\  ',         .  131 

18.  FELDSPAR  AND  ALBITE  FOR  THE  GLAZISG  OF  PORCELAIN  WARE,  J32 

19.  FELDSPAR  AND  MICA  FOR  OBTAINING  POTASSA,     .'."".            .  133 

20.  MATERIALS  FOR  WATER-PROOF  CEMENT,       .           .            .  133 

21.  STEATITE  OR  SOAPSTONE,          "''•    '      y«           •.          •            •  135 

22.  SERPENTINE  OR  VERD  ANTIQUE  MARBLE,    '*           .            .  137 


REPORT. 


To  His  Excellency  EDWARD  EVERETT, 

Governor  of  Massachusetts: 

SIR, — The  commission  with  which  I  was  honored,  to  make  a  further 
Geological  and  Mineralogical  survey  of  the  State,  was  not  received 
in  season  to  enable  me  to  enter  upon  the  work  till  towards  the 
conclusion  of  the  last  summer.  From  that  time  to  the  present,  I 
have  devoted  myself  to  it  almost  without  cessation. 

I  was  directed  to  give  special  attention  to  five  leading  objects. 
The  first  was  the  collection  and  analysis  of  our  soils,  with  a  view  to 
their  improvement  on  chemical  principles.  The  second  was  the  dis- 
covery of  coal,  marl,  and  ores.  The  third  was  a  re-examination  of 
some  of  the  rock  formations,  so  as  to  determine  more  accurately  their 
limits,  that  they  may  be  colored  on  the  new  Geographical  Map  of  the 
State.  The  fourth  was  to  make  further  investigations  into  our  scientific 
geology,  both  with  a  view  to  advance  the  science,  and  to  make  a  practi- 
cal application  of  any  new  discoveries  that  might  be  made.  The  fifth 
was  the  procuring  of  new  specimens  of  our  rocks  and  minerals  for 
the  State  collection. 

It  was  obvious  at  once,  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  accomplish 
all  these  objects  in  one  season.  Indeed,  in  regard  to  the  third  object, 
which  in  the  commencement  of  the  geological  survey  was  regard- 
ed as  the  main  one,  want  of  time  was  not  the  greatest  obstacle.  For 
it  never  can  be  effected  until  the  geologist  can  obtain  at  least  an  out- 
line map,  far  more  accurate  than  any  that  now  exists,  except  of  one 
or  two  counties  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston.  It  is  an  established  prin- 
ciple, whose  correctness  will  be  seen  on  a  moment's  reflection,  that 
a  geological  map  cannot  be  made  more  accurate  than  the  geographical 
1 


:6:  •  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

one  which  is  made  its  basis.  Hence  but  little  progress  can  be  made 
in  the  third  object  of  my  commission,  until  the  new  geographical  map 
shall  be  so  far  advanced,  that  I  can  be  furnished  with  its  outlines  at 
least. 

Under  these  circumstances,  and  agreeably  to  your  Excellency's 
instructions,  I  have  made  the  soils,  the  marls,  and  the  ores  of  the 
State,  the  leading  object  of  my  labors  the  last  season.  But  in  doing 
this,  it  was  in  my  power  to  accomplish  much  in  respect  to  all  the 
other  objects  above  named.  To  collect  the  soils,  it  was  necessary 
to  visit  almost  every  part  of  the  State;  and  I  have  been  enabled,  while 
doing  this,  to  trace  out  more  accurately  the  boundaries  of  several  of 
the  rock  formations;  to  obtain  several  hundred  specimens  for  the  State 
collection;  to  examine  many  new  and  deeply  interesting  facts  illustrative 
of  the  science  of  geology,  and  to  procure  several  new  sketches  of  our 
scenery.  But  I  am  totally  unprepared  to  report  upon  any  part  of  the 
subject,  except  our  economical  geology*:  and  even  here  I  would  most 
gladly  have  delayed  rny  report  till  I  could  have  examined  some  lo- 
calities farther,  and  verified  the  analytical  results  which  I  shall  present 
by  farther  experiments.  During  the  last  season  I  sent  a  circular  to 
every  town  in  the  State,  directed  generally,  to  some  gentleman  who  was 
a  member  of  the  Legislature  last  year,  requesting  information  on  certain 
points,  which  would  require  a  vast  amount  of  time  to  examine  per- 
sonally. The  prompt  manner  in  which  the  gentlemen  addressed  have 
complied  with  my  request,  has  been  gratifying;  and  for  the  important 
facts  which  they  have  communicated,  I  feel  grateful.  Even  up  to 

*In  connection  wilh  specimens  of  our  soils,  marls,  &c.  which  I  have  deposited  in  the  rooms 
of  the  Boston  Natural  History  Society  wilh  the  Slate  collection,  I  lake  the  liberty  lo  ask  the 
attention  of  the  government  lo  a  few  specimens,  illustrating  our  scientific  geology,  which  I 
have  sent  to  the  same  place,  because  I  thought  they  mighi  be  interesting.  Two  of  them  (Nos. 
218,  219)  are  examples  of  the  tracks  of  animals  on  stone,  found  in  the  region  of  Conneclicut 
river.  The  one  which  is  in  relief,  (No.  218)  is  of  so  monstrous  a  size  (four  times  larger  than 
the  track  of  the  Ostrich)  that  probably  many  can  hardly  be  made  to  believe  that  it  exhibits 
only  ihe  natural  size  of  the  foot  of  the  animal  thai  made  il.  Yel  I  can  assure  them,  that  if  they 
will  accompany  me  lo  the  banks  of  Connecticut  river,  in  Northampton,  I  can  show  them  six 
tracks  of  the  same  size,  four  feet  apart  and  following  one  another  in  succession  !  No  219,  is 

a  smallrr  specimen  uhich  exhibits  a  very  perfect  example  of  a  track  in  its  natural  position. 
The  specimen  No.  216,  is  a  variety  of  the  Emerald  from  a  new  locality  recently  discovered 
in  Royalston.  For  a  knowledge  of  this  locality,  as  well  as  for  assislance  in  obtaining  speci- 
mens, I  am  much  indebled  to  Alden  Spooner.  Esq.  of  Alhol.  Il  is  certainly  one  of  the  fines1 
gems  which  our  country  has  produced.  No.  217  is  a  specimen  of  Amethyst  from  Mr.  MortL 
mer  Blake  of  Franklin,  and  was  found  in  that  town.  He  assures  me  thai  it  is  much  inferior 
to  specimens  which  he  has  found  there. 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52,  7 

the  time  of  making  out  this  report,  I  have  continued  to  receive  new 
specimens  of  much  interest; — some  of  which  I  have  analyzed;  but  the 
localities  I  have  not  visited,  both  for  want  of  time,  and  on  account  of 
the  unfavorableness  of  the  season  of  the  year.  As  it  has  been  impos- 
sible for  me  in  all  cases  to  communicate  by  letter,  when  requested, 
rny  opinion  of  the  nature  and  value  of  the  specimens  sent  by  various 
gentlemen,  I  take  the  liberty  to  refer  them  for  that  opinion  to  this  re- 
port, should  it  be  printed;  and  also  to  say,  that  I  shall  take  the  earli- 
est opportunity  in  rny  power  to  visit  the  localities. 

In  this  report,  I  shall  confine  myself  to  those  substances  valuable 
to  the  State  in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view,  which  have  been  discovered, 
or  their  value  more  fully  developed,  since  the  completion  of  my  former 
Reports.  In  this  way  the  government  will  have  a  fair  opportunity  o* 
judging  whether  this  work  is  important  enough  to  receive  their  patron- 
age till  it  is  completed. 

1.  SOILS,  their  Origin  and  JVa/wre. 

Before  proceeding  to  exhibit  details  respecting  the  soils  of  Massa- 
chusetts, it  will  be  necessary  to  state  my  views  respecting  the  origin 
and  nature  of  soils  in  general,  and  the  principles  on  which  they  may 
be  classified. 

All  geologists  and  chemists  agree  in  regarding  soils  as  the  result 
of  the  abrasion,  disintegration,  and  decomposition  of  rocks,  with  the 
addition  of  certain  saline,  vegetable,  and  animal  substances.  Ever 
since  the  deposition  of  rocks,  various  agents  have  been  operating  up- 
on them  to  wear  them  down,  to  cause  them  to  crumble  or  disinte- 
grate, and  often  to  decompose  them  into  their  proximate  or  ultimate 
principles,  while  they  have  been  constantly  receiving  vegetable  and 
animal  substances  with  soluble  salts.  The  earthy  portions,  however, 
always  constitute  by  far  the  largest  part;  and  hence,  if  we  know  the 
composition  of  the  rocks  whence  they  were  derived,  we  shall  know 
the  earthy  and  metallic  constituents  of  the  soil.  Now  we  find  that 
nearly  all  the  rocks  which  exist  in  large  quantity,  are  composed 
chiefly  of  silica,  alumina,  lime,  and  oxide  of  iron:  and  these  are  the 
ingredients  that  are  found  almost  invariably  in  soils.  Magnesia  is 
also  usually  present  in  small  quantity;  as  is  also  manganese  it)  the 
soils  of  New  England.  Silica  is  in  the  largest  quantity,  both  in  the 


8  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

rocks  and  the  soils;  alumina  next;  while  the  other  ingredients  are  in 
much  smaller  proportion.  I  ought,  also,  to  add  potassa  and  soda; 
which  are  very  widely  diffused,  though  not  usually  in  large  quantity. 
To  give  a  numerical  statement,  derived  from  numerous  analyses, 
such  rocks  as  most  of  those  in  New  England  contain  G6  per  cent,  of 
silica,  16  percent  of  alumina,  6  or  7  per  cent  of  potassa,  5  per  cent 
of  oxide  of  iron,  and  of  lirne  and  magnesia  a  much  less  quantity:  and 
the  composition  of  our  soils  will  probably  be  found  to  correspond 
very  nearly  with  these  numbers,  with  the  exception,  perhaps,  of  the 
potassa,  which  may  have  in  a  good  measure  disappeared  by  the 
operation  of  vegetation. 

Classification  of  Soils. 

The  above  ingredients  are  combined  in  different  proportions  in 
the  different  rocks,  so  as  to  constitute  several  sorts.  Hence  we 
should  expect,  and  in  fact  we  find,  a  corresponding  difference  in  the 
soils  resulting  from  their  decomposition.  Indeed,  with  some  excep- 
tions, the  geologist  is  able  to  ascertain  the  nature  of  the  rock  from 
the  character  of  the  soil  that  covers  it.  And  I  apprehend  that  it  will 
not  be  difficult  to  point  out  the  characteristics  of  the  soils  derived  from 
the  different  rock  formations  of  Massachusetts;  so  that  they  can  be  dis- 
tinguished by  those  not  familiar  with  practical  geology.  This  Geolog- 
ical Classification  is  the  only  one  which  I  shall  attempt  to  give  of  our 
soils;  and  this  seems  to  me  all  that  is  necessary,  or  useful,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  common  division  into  sandy,  clayey,  loamy,  calcareous, 
&c.  The  following  list  embraces,  it  appears  to  me,  all  the  impor- 
tant varieties  of  soil  in  Massachusetts. 

1.  Alluvium,  from  rivers. 

Do.         peaty. 

2.  Tertiary  soil,  argillaceous. 

Do.  sandy. 

3.  Sandstone  soil,  red. 

Do.  gray. 

4.  Graywacke  soil,  conglomerate. 

Do.  slaty,  gray. 

Do.  slaty,  red. 

5.  Clay  slate  soil. 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  9 

6.  Limestone  soil,  magnesian. 

Do.  common. 

7.  Mica  slate  soil. 

8.  Talcose  slate  soil. 

9.  Gneiss  soil,  common. 

Do.  ferruginous. 

10.  Granite  soil. 

11.  Sienite  soil. 

12.  Porphyry  soil. 

13.  Greenstone  soil. 

A  few  paragraphs  of  explanation  will,  I  trust,  render  these  varie- 
ties of  soil  recognizable. 

In  general,  if  any  one  wishes  to  know  where  to  find  them,  let  him 
look  at  the  Geological  Map  that  accompanied  rny  former  Report, 
and  he  may  conclude  that  the  different  soils  cover  those  portions  of 
the  surface  that  are  represented  as  occupied  by  the  rocks  from  which 
they  are  derived.  There  is  one  circumstance,  however,  that  pre- 
vents us  from  considering  the  boundaries  of  the  rock  formations  as 
perfectly  coincident  with  those  of  the  soils.  Diluvial  action  has  re- 
moved nearly  all  the  loose  covering  of  our  rocks  in  a  southerly  di- 
rection; often  several  miles;  and  more  or  less  mingled  the  soils 
from  different  formations.  Hence,  where  one  formation  lies  north  or 
south  of  another  on  the  map,  we  may  conclude  that  the  detritus  of 
the  most  northerly  one  has  been  swept  southerly,  or  southeasterly, 
for  several  miles  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  rock;  and  in  few  cases 
does  the  dividing  line  between  two  formations  so  exactly  coincide 
with  the  direction  of  the  diluvial  current,  that  there  is  no  overlapping 
and  intermingling  of  the  soil.  Where  the  formations  are  limited  and 
irregular,  the  soil  of  whole  townships  is  of  so  mixed  and  uncertain  a 
character,  that  it  is  hardly  possible  to  refer  it  to  any  of  the  above  di- 
visions; as  for  example  in  Arnherst,  Ludlow,  and  several  of  the 
towns  in  Plymouth  county.  In  such  cases,  it  might  perhaps  be  con- 
venient to  call  the  soil  diluvial:  but  I  have  not  thought  it  important 
to  introduce  such  a  variety,  since  it  can  have  no  constant  characters, 
and  since  this  difficulty  is  of  so  limited  a  nature.  In  all  such  cases  it 
is  better  to  regard  the  soil  as  a  compound  of  detritus  from  the  rocks 
lying  in  the  vicinity  to  the  northward. 

With  common  alluvial  soils — -the  result  of  deposition  from  rivers, 


10  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

—every  intelligent  man  is  familiar.  They  are  of  course  formed  by 
the  comminution  of  every  kind  of  rock  over  which  the  stream  that 
produces  them  happens  to  pass.  These  soils,  [  apprehend,  owe 
their  value  chiefly  to  the  fine  state  to  which  their  component  parts 
are  reduced.  They  may  be  made  so  fine  as  to  exclude  too  much 
the  access  of  air:  and  this  seems  to  be  the  case  with  some  of  the 
soils  upon  our  large  rivers  at  the  West.  In  Massachusetts  our  allu- 
via are  frequently  coarse  and  quite  siliceous. 

Peat  alluvium  is  composed  principally  of  vegetable  matter,  and 
ought  rather  to  be  regarded  as  a  manure  than  a  soil.  I  include  in  it 
all  those  swamps  that  abound  in  decomposing  vegetable  matter, 
whether  actually  converted  into  peat  or  not. 

The  principal  deposites  of  the  tertiary  soils  are  in  the  valley  of 
Connecticut  river,  and  in  the  counties  of  Plymouth,  Barnstable, 
Dukes  and  Nantucket.  The  surface  in  these  places  is  usually  cov- 
ered with  a  white  or  yellowish  siliceous  sand,  which  forms  one  varie- 
ty of  these  soils.  Where  the  sand  is  washed  away,  a  deposite  of 
clay  is  exposed;  white,  or  whitish  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the 
state;  but  bluish  on  Connecticut  river.  This  is  the  other  variety  of 
tertiary  soils.  Either  of  them  in  a  pure  state  is  exceedingly  barren; 
but  duly  mixed,  they  form  a  very  productive  soil. 

The  sandstone  soil  is  confined  exclusively  to  the  vicinity  of  Con- 
necticut river.  Most  of  the  sandstone  there  is  of  a  red  color;  some 
of  it  even  a  blood  red;  and  its  disintegration  has  produced  a  soil  of 
the  same  aspect;  so  that  even  at  a  great  distance,  the  redness  is  quite 
manifest.  There  is  no  soil  that  can  easily  be  confounded  with  this, 
except  some  limited  tracts  of  ferruginous  gneiss  soil  in  Worcester 
county,  and  of  chocolate  colored  graywacke,  and  red  compact  feld- 
spar, in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State.  In  a  few  towns,  as  in  Granby, 
the  sandstone  soil  is  of  a  gray  color,  because  the  rock  is  gray  be- 
neath it. 

The  graywacke  soil  is  confined  to  the  eastern  part  of  the  State. 
Its  color  is  mostly  a  deep  brown;  and  it  is  capable  of  being  made 
some  of  the  best  land  in  the  State;  as  will  be  evident  when  I  refer 
to  Dorchester,  Roxbury,  Brookline,  Newton,  Cambridge,  the 
Bridgewaters,  Taunton,  Middleborough,  Dighton,  Somerset,  &c. 
for  examples  of  its  most  perfect  developement.  In  some  of  these 
towns  the  rock  is  chiefly  a  coarse  conglomerate  or  plum  pudding 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  11 

stone;  and  as  this  contains  more  calcareous  matter  than  the  slaty  va- 
rieties, and  decomposes  more  readily,  probably  it  furnishes  the  best 
soil  found  over  this  formation.  The  slaty  varieties  occur  in  Quincy, 
Newton,  Charlestown,  &c.  In  the  southwest  part  of  Attleborough, 
the  slate  is  of  a  chocolate  color,  and  this  peculiar  hue  is  imparted  to 
the  soil.  The  same  color  prevails  in  some  other  places;  but  not 
extensively  enough  to  produce  any  striking  patches  of  this  variety  of 
soil. 

The  tracts  are  very  limited  in  Massachusetts,  where  well  charac- 
terized argillaceous  or  roofing  slate  is  fully  developed:  and  hence  we 
have  but  little  genuine  clay  slate  soil.  Where  it  does  occur,  as  in  a 
few  towns  in  Worcester  and  Middlesex  counties,  also  in  Bernards- 
ton,  in  Franklin  county,  it  has  the  dark  color  of  the  slate;  and  is 
easily  distinguished.  It  is  capable  of  being  made  an  excellent  soil. 

The  limestone  soil  is  confined  to  the  county  of  Berkshire.  I  give 
it  this  name  because  it  lies  above  limestone;  not  because  it  contains 
more  of  the  salts  of  lime  than  other  soils  in  the  State.  For  to  my 
surprise,  I  find  that  in  general  it  does  not.  Much  of  it  probably  re- 
sulted from  the  disintegration  of  the  mica  and  talcose  slates  that  occur 
in  large  quantities  along  with  the  limestone  in  that  county;  and  pro- 
bably, also,  the  calcareous  matter,  which  it  did  once  contain,  has 
been  exhausted  by  cultivation.  The  magnesian  limestone  and  the 
soil  thence  resulting,  appeared  to  me  more  extensive  (though  not  as 
pure)  in  New  Marlborough  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  county. 

The  mica  slate  soil,  which  occupies  extensive  regions  in  Massa- 
chusetts, as  the  Geological  Map  Xvill  show,  is  distinguished  in  ap- 
pearance from  the  clay  slate  soil,  chiefly  by  being  of  a  lighter  color. 
Yet  since  the  two  rocks  pass  into  each  other  imperceptibly,  so  do 
these  soils.  And  in  the  western  part  of  Berkshire  county,  as  well 
as  in  the  mica  slate  region,  extending  from  Worcester  to  the  mouth 
of  Merrimack  river,  the  mica  slate  approaches  so  near  to  argillaceous 
slate,  that  the  soil  above  it  might,  without  much  error,  be  referred  to 
the  latter  rock.  Most  of  our  mica  slate  soils  are  of  a  superior 
quality. 

The  talcose  slate  soil  is  rather  limited,  and  not  of  the  best  quali- 
ty: though  it  should  be  recollected  that  it  occupies  some  of  the  high- 
est parts  of  the  State,  and  might  at  a  lower  level  be  more  productive. 
It  probably,  however,  contains  too  much  magnesia.  The  argillo-tal- 


12  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

cose  slate  soils  of  the  west  part  of  Berkshire,  are  of  a  better  quality. 
In  appearance  the  mica  slate  and  talcose  slate  soils  can  hardly  be 
distinguished  from  each  other;  though  in  general  the  latter  is  of  a  light- 
er color  and  more  sandy. 

Gneiss  soil  occupies  more  surface  than  any  other  in  the  State:  and 
were  we  to  judge  from  its  appearance,  we  should  conclude  it  the  poor- 
est soil  within  our  limits.  In  general,  it  is  of  a  pale  yellow  color,  and 
very  sandy  or  gravelly.  And,  indeed,  in  many  places  it  is  very 
meagre  and  unproductive.  But  over  a  great  part  of  Worcester  coun- 
ty, for  instance,  it  is  of  a  very  different  character,  being  enriched  pro- 
bably by  the  potassa  of  the  feldspar  and  mica  in  gneiss.  The  ferrugi- 
nous gneiss  soil  contains  so  much  peroxide  of  iron,  that  in  some  towns, 
as  West  Brookfield,  Sturbridge,  Brimfield,  Oakham,  &c.,  it  is  of  a 
perceptible  red  color  when  seen  at  a  distance. 

Since  granite  and  gneiss  are  composed  of  the  same  ingredients,  the 
soils  which  they  produce  will  not  differ.  And  in  fact  they  do  not  in 
Massachusetts:  so  that  probably  there  is  little  advantage  in  separating 
them. 

Sienite  differs  from  granite  in  taking  hornblende  into  its  composi- 
tion, as  well  as  being  in  general  of  a  finer  texture.  The  soil  result- 
ing from  its  decomposition  is  certainly  more  favorable  to  cultivation 
than  that  derived  from  common  granite:  as  an  example  of  which  I 
may  refer  to  nearly  the  whole  of  Essex  county. 

The  compact  feldspar,  that  forms  the  basis  of  porphyry,  frequently 
contains  an  unusually  large  proportion  of  alumina,  from  1 5  to  30  per 
cent.  And  although  this  is  the  hardest  of  the  rocks  around  Bos- 
ton, in  many  places  it  decomposes  rapidly,  and  the  resulting  soil  ad- 
mits of  high  cultivation,  as  may  be  seen  in  Medford  and  Lynn. 

The  greenstone  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State  is  so  intimately 
connected  with  sienite  and  porphyry,  that  the  attempt  to  separate  the 
soils  resulting  froln  them,  is  almost  useless.  Yet  the  structure  of  the 
greenstone  is  finer,  and  where  it  predominates,  we  find  a  good  soil; 
as  in  Ipswich  and  Woburn.  The  greenstone  associated  with  sand- 
stone, near  Connecticut  river,  has  a  more  earthy  aspect,  and  produ- 
ces by  decomposition  a  peculiar  yet  valuable  soil,  of  a  deep  brown 
color,  and  abounding  in  iron.  It  is,  however,  but  of  limited  ex- 
tent. 


1838.  HOUSE— No  52.  13 


Manner  of  collecting  specimens  of  the  Soils. 

Having  adopted  this  arrangement  of  our  soils,  it  occurred  to  me 
that  the  proper  way  to  make  a  collection  of  them  for  analysis  would 
be  to  go  upon  each  formation,  and  obtain  specimens  from  different 
parts  of  it  especially  where  the  characteristics  of  the  soil  were  most 
clearly  developed.  As  it  was  not  my  object  to  examine  the  soil  of 
any  particular  farm,  I  did  not  even  inquire  from  whose  land  I  obtain- 
ed the  specimen:  but  took  it  where  I  thought  the  particular  soil  that 
prevailed  in  the  vicinity  was  most  fairly  exhibited,  taking  care,  how- 
ever, to  obtain  specimens  from  every  important  part  of  the  different 
rock  formations.  In  nearly  every  instance  (the  few  excepted  cases 
are  noticed  in  the  results  that  will  soon  be  given)  I  took  the  soil  from 
a  cultivated  ploughed  field;  and  where  it  was  possible,  from  land  that  had 
been  ploughed  long  enough  for  the  vegetable  fibres  to  disappear.  I 
avoided,  whenever  possible,  the  vicinity  of  buildings;  and  especially 
barn  yards;  as  I  did  also  fields  that  through  neglect  had  become  very 
poor.  As  I  collected  these  specimens  in  the  latter  part  of  summer, 
and  early  part  of  autumn,  I  could  judge  by  the  crops  where  the  culti- 
vation had  been  good,  but  not  extra.  I  wished  to  avoid,  on  the  one 
hand, soil  that  had  been  very  much  exhausted;  and,  on  the  other,  that 
which  had  become  quite  factitious  by  the  application  of  various  ma- 
nures and  in  great  quantity;  because  I  supposed  a  medium  state  of 
cultivation  would  best  exhibit  the  real  capabilities  of  our  soils.  I  took 
the  specimen  three  or  four  inches  below  the  surface,  or  about  half 
way  between  the  surface  and  the  sub-soil; — avoiding,  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, roots,  undecayed  manure,  and  large  pebbles.  And  in  my  ana- 
lysis, I  separated  with  a  very  coarse  sieve,  all  the  pebbles,  roots,  &c- 
larger  than  the  tenth  of  an  inch  in  diameter;  and  of  these  I  made  no 
account.  For  although  pebbles  and  fragments  of  undecayed  vegeta- 
ble matters  exert  some  influence  upon  cultivation,  and  if  in  large  quan- 
tity may  essentially  modify  it,  yet  I  do  not  believe  that  a  chemical 
examination  of  these  matters  can  add  any  thing  to  what  the  farmer  al- 
ready knows  on  this  subject. 
2  ' 


14  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 


Mode  of  preparing  and  preserving  the  Specimens. 

The  specimens  as  they  were  collected  were  put  into  tin  canisters, 
and  labelled  on  the  spot.  Afterwards  they  were  spread  upon  boards 
and  exposed  for  several  days  to  a  very  dry  air  and  warm  sun  in  Oc- 
tober. Then  they  were  returned  to  the  canisters.  Not  long  after 
the  part  not  used  for  analysis  was  put  into  white  glass  bottles,  which 
were  numbered  and  sealed.  This  arrangement  renders  them  easy  to 
be  examined  by  the  eye  without  the  danger  of  being  wasted  by  un- 
corking them.  These  bottles,  to  the  number  of  125,  along  with  50 
others,  containing  marls,  clays,  muck  sand,  marsh  mud,  ochres,  &c. 
with  several  specimens  of  limestones,  coal,  ores,  &c.  not  previously 
in  the  State  collection,  are  deposited  in  the  Rooms  of  the  Boston 
Natural  History  Society,  where  they  can  be  examined  by  the  govern- 
ment. 

Methods  of  analysing  Soils. 

The  soils  being  thus  got  in  readiness  for  analysis,  an  important  and 
difficult  question  arose  as  to  the  best  mode  of  conducting  that  opera- 
tion. The  three  leading  objects  to  be  attained,  by  such  an  analysis, 
are,  first  to  ascertain  the  nature  and  amount  of  the  earths  that  form  the 
basis  of  the  soils.  Secondly,  the  nature  and  amount  of  the  salts  that 
act  as  stimulants  to  vegetation;  and  thirdly,  to  determine  the  amount 
and  condition  of  the  organic  matter  which  constitutes  the  nourishment 
of  plants.  Now  to  accomplish  all  these  objects,  by  the  most  accurate 
methods  of  modern  analysis,  is  a  work  of  so  great  difficulty  and  labor, 
that  the  time  which  was  at  my  disposal  between  the  period  of  collect- 
ing the  soils  and  the  meeting  of  the  Legislature,  would  not  have  been 
more  than  sufficient  to  have  performed  it  upon  half  a  dozen  specimens. 
Indeed,  every  mode  of  analysis  that  has  yet  been  proposed,  leaves 
many  important  inquiries  relating  to  the  organic  matter  of  soils  un- 
touched and  unanswered.  The  method  proposed  by  Sir  Humphrey 
Davy  has  long  been  thought  the  best  for  practical  purposes;  and  be- 
fore making  trial  of  it,  I  had  the  same  opinion:  and  had  it  answered 
the  purpose,  I  was  confident  I  should  be  able  in  a  few  months  to  ap- 
ply it  to  all  the  soils  I  had  collected.  But  even  though  the  results 


J838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  15 

should  be  such  as  that  distinguished  chemist  represented:  they  would 
furnish  only  a  very  meagre  account  of  a  soil.  Yet  some  parts  of  his 
process  furnish  only  a  very  distant  and  uncertain  approximation  to  the 
truth,  as  will  be  more  fully  shown  further  on.  And  it  is  not  easy  to 
understand  how  his  method  has  been  so  long  in  such  favor  with  al- 
most all  writers  on  the  subject,  except  by  supposing,  that  the  real 
chemist  has  always  seen  it  to  be  so  inadequate  that  he  has  resorted  to 
other  modes  when  a  soil  was  to  be  examined,  while  it  is  so  complex 
and  difficult  that  no  agriculturist,  who  was  not  acquainted  with  chem- 
ical manipulation,  and  who  had  not  access  to  a  laboratory,  has  ever 
attempted  to  follow  it:  so  that  in  fact,  while  all  have  recommended 
his  rules,  none  have  applied  them.  The  difficulty  was  not  that  Sir 
Humphrey  Davy  did  not  understand  all  that  was  known  on  the  sub- 
ject when  he  wrote;  but  that  in  endeavoring  to  frame  popular  rules 
without  compromitting  his  favorite  science,  he  failed  of  his  object. 
Still  his  rules  do  furnish  results  of  some  importance,  and  as  I  knew  of 
no  better  ones  which  could  be  applied  to  a  great  number  of  soils  with- 
in a  short  time,  I  selected  a  number  of  specimens  of  the  different  va- 
rieties of  our  soils,  and  examined  them  by  his  method  considerably 
modified;  and  shall  now  proceed  to  bring  the  results  together  and  in- 
quire whether  they  teach  any  useful  lesson.  I  should  have  proceed- 
ed farther  in  these  examinations,  had  not  a  new  and  ingenious  method 
of  analysis  been  unexpectedly  brought  to  my  notice,  which  appeared 
to  me  much  more  important  and  satisfactory. 

I  ought  *to  say,  before  giving  the  results  above  spoken  of,  that  al- 
though I  should  not  offer  them  if  I  did  not  suppose  them  accurate 
enough  for  all  practical  purposes,  yet  I  do  not  suppose  them  to  pos- 
sess the  precision  that  most  modern  analyses  attain  when  skilfully  con- 
ducted. For  I  was  obliged  to  conduct  a  great  number  of  these  an- 
alyses together;  and  of  course  could  not  employ  silver  and  platinum 
crucibles:  nor  has  time  been  allowed  me  to  verify  the  results  by  re- 
peating the  processes,  as  ought  always  to  be  done  before  scientific  ac- 
curacy can  be  ensured.  And  the  same  remarks  will  apply,  to  some 
extent,  to  those  other  analyses  which  I  shall  present  in  this  report: 
For  although  in  all  cases  where  it  was  necessary,  the  regular  methods 
were  employed  by  fusion  with  alkalis  in  silver  or  platinum  vessels, 
yet  no  chemist  who  learns  how  numerous  these  analyses  are,  can  be- 
lieve it  possible  that  they  have  been  performed  in  the  space  of  three 


16  ^GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

or  four  months  with  the  repetitions  necessary  to  ensure  perfect  accu- 
racy. I  would  gladly  have  made  these  verifications:  but  I  have  done 
what  I  could;  and  that  work,  if  ever  accomplished,  must  he  future. 
For  the  alternative  was  before  me,  either  to  quit  my  laboratory,  or 
to  disappoint  the  expectations  of  government,  that  I  should  make  this 
report  during  the  present  session  of  the  Legislature. 

Examination  for  Calcareous  Matter  in  our  Soils. 

A  preliminary  step  of  great  importance  in  this  analysis,  consisted 
in  an  examination  of  the  soils  to  ascertain  whether  they  contain  lime 
in  the  state  of  a  carbonate; — that  is,  common  limestone.  And  I 
conducted  the  process  in  the  following  manner.  A  small  quantity  of 
the  soil  was  introduced  into  a  watch  glass,  so  placed  that  the  light 
from  a  window  would  fall  upon  it.  This  soil  was  covered  with 
water  to  a  considerable  depth.  The  soil  was  then  stirred  until  all 
the  light  matter  and  every  bubble  of  air  had  risen  to  the  top.  The 
impurity  that  floated  on  the  surface  was  then  removed  by  drawing 
over  it  a  piece  of  bibulous  paper,  so  that  the  water  stood  perfectly 
clear  above  the  soil.  Then  a  few  drops  of  muriatic  acid  were  add- 
ed by  a  dropping  tube,  and  the  water  was  carefully  watched  to  see 
if  any  bubbles  rose  through  it,  as  they  would  have  done  if  any  carbo- 
nate were  present.  The  minutest  quantity  of  gas  escaping,  could  in 
this  manner  be  perceived.  The  result  disclosed  the  remarkable  fact, 
that  out  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  specimens  of  soils  from  all 
parts  of  the  State,  and  several  of  them  from  limestone  tracts,  only 
xeven  exhibited  any  effervescence;  and  even  these,  when  analysed, 
yielded  but  a  very  small  per  cent  of  carbonate  of  lime,  viz: 

No.  31.  Graywacke  soil,  Watertown,  1.3  per  cent 

—  51.  Limestone  soil,  Sheffield,  0.8         " 

—  52.          Do.  West  Stockbridge,      3.2         " 

—  78.  Gneiss  soil,  Westminster,  3.0         " 

—  80.         Do.         Fitchburg,  2.1         " 
— 113.   Sienite  soil,  Wrentham,  0.4         " 
— 125.  Greenstone  soil,  Deerfield,                    2.0         " 

Even  in  three  of  the  above  cases,  Nos.  78,  80  and  125,  I  am 
strongly  suspicious,  that  the  calcareous  matter  might  not  have  been 
natural  to  the  soils.  For,  contrary  to  my  usual  custom,  in  these 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  17 

cases  I  took  the  specimens  from  small  patches  of  cultivated  ground 
near  villages;  and  very  likely  these  spots  might  have  been  manured 
with  sea  shells,  or  lime  in  some  other  form.  Setting  these  aside, 
only  one  in  thirty  of  our  soils  contains  any  calcareous  matter.  This 
is  so  different  from  the  account  given  in  the  books  of  European 
soils,  that  it  will  doubtless  be  very  surprising.  For  some  of  these  con- 
tain more  than  50  per  cent  of  this  substance;  and  nearly  all  of  them 
a  large  per  cent.  But  in  our  country  the  lack  of  calcareous  matter 
is  not  confined  to  Massachusetts.  In  the  able  work  of  Edmund 
Ruffin,  Esq.  of  Virginia,  on  calcareous  manures,  a  similar  statement 
is  made  respecting  the  soils  of  that  State,  and  of  some  of  the  West- 
ern States,  even  in  limestone  regions.  I  have,  also,  recently  ex- 
amined five  of  some  of  the  richest  soils  of  Ohio  and  Illinois,  and 
although  I  find  calcareous  matter  in  all  but  one,  yet  the  average 
quantity  is  not  over  two  per  cent.  Hence  I  apprehend  that  we  shall 
find  a  deficiency  of  carbonate  of  lime  to  be  quite  characteristic  of  a 
large  part  of  the  soils  of  this  country.  This  could  not  always  have 
been  the  case,  especially  in  limestone  regions,  and  hence  we  learn — 
what  indeed  agricultural  chemists  now  generally  admit — that  in  cul- 
tivated fields,  calcareous  matter  is  gradually  changed  or  consumed: 
and  hence  too  we  learn,  what  is  one  of  the  great  desiderata  of  the 
soils  of  Massachusetts.  But  more  of  this  farther  on. 

Results  of  the  first  mode  of  Analysis. 

For  convenience  of  comparison,  the  analyses  in  the  following  table, 
and  indeed  all  that  I  shall  give  in  this  Report,  are  reduced  to  the 
same  standard,  viz.  100  grains;  although  the  quantities  used  were 
sometimes  more  and  often  less.  In  most  cases  there  was  a  loss  of 
several  grains  of  the  soil  analysed.  But  as  I  make  no  pretensions  to 
great  accuracy  in  the  following  results,  I  have  thought  it  would  pre- 
vent needless  embarrassment  to  proportion  the  loss  among  the  sev- 
eral ingredients  of  the  soil. 


18 


GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 


i-5          cvco-^coc^ 


CO 


CO 


"T  T7  V.  r-i  CO  CO  —        CN  —  CN  CM 


- 

Cv  C7  »H  CM        t-i  SV 


O« 


O>  w  GO  "?t<  7?  CO  O  ^  CO  7?  C$  ?0        rn  —        t>.  rj<  Ci  "*  GO        O  —  00  T?  CO 
00  ^  'rf  ifi  -r  CC  J>  CV  V*  QO  —  —        »-i  O        CC  —  ;  1C  1>  C5        CC  —  (^  -^ 


COCOCCr-?CV"r-ir-;^COCod        -5  r-,' 


CJ  —  CO  00  O 
Ot*T  dOlCQ 


O  Oi  Oi  —  W 

»>.  —  co  —  i>! 

S  »  4f  S  ff<        r-iCOr-(M 


O        1C 

c»      i-; 

o     o 


O        O  O  CO  iO 

c^      cv  c^  —  o 
d      o  d  d  o" 


OOQO77        COOO^tOOJ 

cv  7^  rr  •— '      »—  •—  i— i  c*<  —  i— *  1-H 
dodo      ddc;odoo* 


UIOJJ       BJlSJOd 


'.T—  00  0  0  W  »«  0 

«  rf  »5  p  is  s 


iojj 


ai  I'M 
^isod 


qy 


•uoijd-ios 
' 


s-dfMlll^ff 

"5  c  <£  °  £b  *-»  "^  ,d 

S  J 1 1  §  J  e  1 


1838. 


HOUSE— No.  52. 


o  oc  "*  rr  o  ??  o?  co  cd  o  ^'  ir»  rj5  o  cd  cd  co  ~*  ?t  o  co  TO  TT  1-1  wt  QO  ir?  oo  cc  tfs  —  ;e  -^  ^ 

,_,    _  n  p»  rH  ri  (^  f-i  (^  r-i    1-1  T-I  CM  —  CO  f-l  F-f  5O  i-i  »-«   Ol  rH   CM  r-i  <Zv  i-(  3M  CM  SV  CO 


o 


^co  —  oucooci'-^  — 


Oii-H 


CO  »O  — 
i  »O  t>^  IO 


.-a 


20  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.      March, 


Explanation  of  the  preceding  Table  with  Remarks. 

The  numbers  in  the  first  column  of  the  preceding  table,  denote 
the  specimens  of  the  soils  deposited  in  the  State  collection:  and  the 
second  column  points  out  the  name  and  locality. 

However  thoroughly  soils  are  dried  in  the  sun,  a  quantity  of 
water  still  adheres  to  them,  which  cannot  be  entirely  driven  off,  until 
they  are  heated  to  nearly  300°  of  Fahrenheit's  thermometer;  or  to 
the  point  where  paper  begins  to  turn  brown.  This  was  the  way  in 
which  the  numbers  in  the  third  column  were  obtained,  by  heating 
100  grains  to  that  point  and  noting  the  loss  of  weight.  Highly 
siliceous  soils  retain  but  very  little  of  this  water  of  absorption,  while 
from  highly  aluminous  ones,  it  is  not  all  driven  off  by  heating  to 
300°.  The  power  of  soils  to  retain  water,  however,  depends  much 
more  upon  the  quantity  and  character  of  the  organic  matter  which 
they  contain,  than  upon  their  mineral  composition,  as  I  shall  endea- 
vor to  show  hereafter. 

After  driving  off  the  water  of  absorption,  the  soil  was  heated  to 
redness,  and  continued  in  that  state  until  every  thing  combustible 
was  burnt  off.  The  loss  of  weight  showed  the  quantity  of  organic 
matter;  and  thus  the  fourth  column  was  formed. 

Thus,  if  we  follow  the  ordinary  rules,  we  get  rid  at  once  of  the 
most  complicated  and  valuable  part  of  soils,  viz.  the  nourishment 
which  they  contain  for  sustaining  vegetation:  and  in  this  respect  the 
common  modes  of  analysis  are  probably  the  most  deficient.  True, 
in  this  way,  we  get  the  quantity  of  vegetable  and  animal  matter 
which  a  soil  contains.  But  every  farmer  knows  that  his  land  may 
abound  in  such  matter,  and  yet  be  almost  entirely  unproductive:  as 
for  instance,  if  it  be  filled  with  unchanged  peaty  matter  from  the 
swamps.  He  also  knows  that  a  field  may  contain  but  little  organic 
matter,  and  yet  be  very  productive,  although  soon  exhausted.  He 
knows,  likewise,  that  the  same  quantity  of  manure  on  different  fields 
will  render  the  soil  productive  on  some  of  them  much  longer  than  on 
others.  Hence  we  learn  that  the  most  important  point  in  this  part 
of  analysis  is  to  determine  in  what  state  the  organic  matter  is; 
whether  in  such  a  condition  that  it  will  at  once  afford  nourishment  to 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  21 

vegetation,  or  not  until  it  has  undergone  a  chemical  change;  and 
whether  it  is  in  such  a  state  as  to  be  liable  to  be  dissipated  by  the 
common  action  of  moisture,  heat,  and  cold;  or  so  fixed  as  to  be  per- 
manent. Yet  the  methods  of  analysis  given  in  the  books,  furnish  no 
rules  for  deciding  these  'points.  This  deficiency  however,  in  my 
opinion,  has  been  at  length  supplied  by  a  chemical  friend,  and  will 
be  exhibited  in  the  sequel. 

The  fourth  column  in  the  above  table  presents  one  fact  worthy  of 
notice.  It  seems  that  our  alluvial  soils,  although  deservedly  cele- 
brated, contain  less  of  organic  matter  than  almost  any  other  in  the 
State.  The  principles  above  suggested  explain  their  fertility  in 
consistency  with  this  fact:  but  it  shows  us,  if  I  mistake  not,  that 
such  soils,  if  not  constantly  supplied  with  manures,  either  by  the 
overflowing  of  rivers,  or  by  the  farmer,  will  be  sooner  exhausted 
than  almost  any  others. 

The  numbers  in  the  fifth  and  sixth  columns  were  obtained  in  the 
following  manner.  One  hundred  grains  of  the  soil  were  boiled  a 
short  time  in  a  glass  flask  in  water,  and  after  cooling,  this  was  agita- 
ted until  the  soil  was  all  diffused  through  the  water.  As  soon  as  the 
agitation  of  the  water  had  ceased,  it  was  poured  off  along  with  the 
finer  parts  of  the  soil  that  did  not  settle  at  once.  The  portion  that 
remained  usually  consisted  of  siliceous  sand,  while  that  which  was 
left  suspended  in  the  water,  was  much  more  aluminous,  and  consti- 
tuted the  finer  and  most  important  part  of  the  soil.  In  the  present 
instance,  this  deposite  is  in  larger  proportion  than  is  usual  in  analy- 
sis, because  it  was  poured  off  immediately  after  the  agitation  had 
ceased,  under  an  impression  that  by  waiting  two  or  three  minutes, 
as  is  usual,  other  and  more  important  substances  than  silica  may  set- 
tle t©  the  bottom  of  the  vessel.  Indeed,  I  found  this  to  be  the  case 
in  some  instances  when  the  light  matter  was  poured  off  immediately. 
Thus,  the  red  sandstone  soil,  No.  23,  from  Longmeadow,  gave  only 
14  grains  of  aluminous  matter,  and  79  grains  of  siliceous.  By  di- 
gestion in  acid,  the  14  grains  yielded  only  1.3  gr.  of  alumina  and 
2.1  gr.  oxide  of  iron.  But  by  treating  the  79  grains  of  siliceous 
matter  in  the  same  way,  it  produced  7.5  grains  of  alumina  and  4 
grains  peroxide  of  iron.  Such  cases  teach  us  that  this  mechanical 
separation  of  the  siliceous  and  aluminous  matter  is  not  a  little  uncer- 
3 


22  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS       March, 

tain:  although  in  general  it  must  be  confessed,  that  when  the  lighter 
part  was  poured  off  immediately,  the  remainder  was  chiefly  siliceous 
sand. 

It  is  not  the  object  of  this  process  however,  to  show  us  the  quan- 
tity of  silica  and  alumina  in  a  soil:  but  rather  the  amount  of  finely 
divided  matter.  For  the  best  soils  are  found,  in  general,  to  abound 
in  such  matter:  although  it  may  become  excessive,  rendering  the  soil 
impervious  to  air  and  moisture.  This  is  a  principal  defect  in  highly 
argillaceous  soils.  But  from  the  preceding  table  it  appears,  in  my 
opinion,  that  the  soils  in  Massachusetts  are  in  general  too  coarse 
rather  than  too  fine.  Being  derived  chiefly  from  primitive  rocks, 
they  resist  comminution  and  decomposition  more  than  the  secondary 
rocks.  I  am  satisfied  that  the  principal  excellence  of  our  alluvial 
soils  depends  more  upon  their  finely  divided  state  than  any  thing 
else:  for,  as  I  have  already  in  part  shown,  and  shall  show  farther  in 
the  sequel,  they  must  yield  in  value  in  some  important  respects,  to 
our  upland  soils.  And  even  as  to  their  fineness,  they  are  much 
coarser  than  many  of  the  rich  alluvia  of  the  Western  States;  though 
it  may  be  doubted  whether  for  most  crops  they  are.  on  this  account 
the  less  valuable. 

The  term  salt,  in  chemistry,  has  a  much  more  extended  meaning 
than  in  popular  language.  Thus  common  limestone  (carbonate  of 
lime)  and  gypsum  (sulphate  of  lime)  are  properly  denominated  salts, 
as  is  also  phosphate  of  lime  and  chloride  of  calcium  (muriate  of  lime). 
All  compounds  of  any  acid  with  lime,  magnesia,  alumina,  potassa, 
soda,  &c.  or  of  chlorine  with  their  metallic  basis  are  salts:  and  some 
of  these  are  soluble  and  some  insoluble  in  water.  If  any  of  the  for- 
mer exist  in  soils  therefore,  they  will  be  dissolved,  if  the  soil  be 
boiled  in  water.  And  if  afterwards  this  water  be  evaporated,  the 
salt  can  be  obtained  in  a  dry  state  and  weighed.  This  is  the  way 
in  which  column  seventh  was  filled.  Tests  were  also  applied  to  the 
solutions,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  nature  of  these  salts.  Hydrocy- 
anate  of  potassa,  infusion  of  nutgalls,  the  chlorides  of  calcium  and 
magnesium,  and  the  carbonate  of  ammonia  and  phosphate  of  soda 
gave  no  precipitate  in  any  instance.  Hence  I  infer  the  absence  of 
iron  and  the  salts  of  magnesia.  But  nitrate  of  silver,  baryta  water, 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  23 

nitrate  and  acetate  of  baryta,  and  oxalate  of  ammonia,  gave  precipi- 
tates more  or  less  abundant  in  every  instance  in  which  I  tried  them.  I 
hence  infer  the  presence  of  a  sulphate,  probably  the  sulphate  of  lime, 
in  all  the  soils  of  Massachusetts  that  I  have  examined,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  but  it  exists  in  every  one  of  our  soils.  The  quantity  given 
in  the  table,  is  probably  much  less  than  the  truth,  for  the  sulphate  of 
lime  is  but  slightly  soluble  in  water,  and  the  quantity  of  water  which 
I  employed,  was  too  small  to  dissolve  all  that  exists  in  100  grains  ; 
or  rather  200  grains,  which  was  the  quantity  usually  boiled.  It  was 
chiefly  to  ascertain  the  fact  of  its  existence  that  the  experiments 
were  performed  ;  since  I  had  adopted  a  belter  rnethed  for  ascertain- 
ing its  quantity.  This  salt  exists,  also,  probably  in  nearly  all  the 
springs,  rivers,  and  ponds  in  the  state.  The  great  importance  of 
gypsum,  in  the  process  of  vegetation,  furnishes  a  reason  for  its  uni- 
versal diffusion. 

The  four  remaining  columns  of  the  table  exhibit  the  composition 
of  the  aluminous  deposite  in  the  sixth  column.  That  deposite  was 
boiled  two  or  three  hours  in  sulphuric,  or  hydrochloric  acid,  and 
the  alumina  and  iron  were  precipitated  together  by  carbonate  of  am- 
monia, and  afterwards  separated  by  hydrate  of  potassa.  The  portion 
remaining  undissolved  by  the  acid,  was  considered  as  silica.  This 
separation  of  alumina  and  iron  by  boiling  in  acid,  is  the  method 
directed  by  Sir  Humphrey  Davy  ;  yet  it  is  entirely  insufficient. 
The  greater  part  of  the  iron  is  probably  thus  separated  ;  but  not  so 
the  alumina.  Not  half  of  this  is  generally  taken  up  by  the  acid. 
The  true  and  effectual  way  of  doing  this  is  by  fusion  with  a  car- 
bonated alkali,  in  a  platinum  crucible.  In  this  way,  in  a  few  in- 
stances, I  treated  the  silica  that  remained  after  the  action  of  the 
acid,  and  obtained  the  following  results.  The  second  column  con- 
tains the  aluminous  deposite  from  water  to  be  examined  ;  the  third, 
the  alumina  separated  by  boiling  in  acid,  as  in  the  table  ;  the  fourth, 
the  alumina  obtained  by  the  process  with  carbonate  of  soda,  added 
to  that  by  acids  ;  the  fifth,  the  remaining  silica  after  the  action  of 
acids ;  the  sixth,  the  silica  obtained  by  the  alkali  ;  and  the  last,  the 
per  cent  of  alumina  in  the  aluminous  deposite. 


GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 


No. 

Aluminous 
Deposite. 

Alumina 
by 
Acids. 

Alumina 
by 
Alkali. 

Silica 

by 

Acids. 

Silica 
by 
Alkali. 

Alumina 
per  cent. 

2 

58.5 

3.4 

17.6 

51.0 

37.5 

30.1 

40 

44.0 

8.0 

11.8 

27.5 

23.7 

26.8 

41 

28.1 

3.1 

9.4 

23.1 

16.8 

33.6 

47 

19.5 

3.5 

6.3 

13.5 

10.7 

32.3 

30.9  Mean, 

58 

42.3 

5.8 

12.2 

32.3 

25.9 

28.8 

89 

49.0 

6.7 

149 

38.9 

30.7 

30.4 

112 

39.3 

51 

13. 

31.3 

23.0 

34.3 

The  small  differences  in  the  last  column  of  the  above  table,  be- 
tween the  alumina  per  cent,  in  the  different  specimens,  suggested  the 
idea,  that  by  taking  the  mean  result  as  a  standard,  an  approximate 
estimate  of  the  real  quantity  of  alumina  and  silica,  in  all  the  aluminous 
deposites  given  in  the  general  table,  might  be  obtained,  by  simply 
multiplying  those  deposites,  after  subtracting  the  amount  of  iron,  by 
that  mean.  In  this  way  were  the  tenth  and  eleventh  columns  of  the 
general  table  obtained.  I  have  little  doubt  but  they  give  the  amount 
of  alumina  and  silica  in  the  finer  part  of  the  soils,  within  a  few  per 
cent,  and  accurately  enough  for  all  the  common  purposes  of  agricul- 
ture ;  although  this  is  not  a  very  scientific  way  of  obtaining  the 
results.  Nor  should  I  have  adopted  it,  had  time  permitted  me  to 
analyse  all  the  specimens  by  alkali,  in  the  dry  way, — the  only  way 
that  will  satisfy  the  chemist.  By  the  time  I  had  proceeded  thus  far 
in  the  analysis  which  1  am  describing,  I  became  quite  convinced 
that  to  obtain  the  exact  quantity  of  silica  and  alumina  in  a"  soil,  is  a 
matter  of  very  little  importance  in  an  agricultural  point  of  view.  I 
know  that  a  soil  consisting  wholly  of  one  kind  of  earth,  will  be 
barren ;  yet  if  a  soil  be  finely  divided  it  may  consist  mostly  of  one 
sort  of  earth,  and  yet,  by  proper  cultivation,  be  rendered  fertile. 
The  proportions  of  silica  and  alumina  may  vary  widely,  and  yet  the 
power  of  producing  plants  remain  essentially  the  same.  And  even 
where  a  soil  is  extremely  siliceous  or  aluminous,  some  modifications 
in  the  mode  of  treating  it  will  make  it  fertile.  It  hardly  needs  a 
chemical  analysis  to  teach  us  when  a  soil  is  siliceous  or  aluminous. 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  125 

I  am  satisfied,  however,  that  the  agency  of  the  oxides  of  iron  in 
agriculture  has  been  underrated,  and  that  a  determination  of  the 
precise  quantity  of  this  substance  which  exists  in  all  our  soils,  may 
be  important. 

These  views  are  confirmed  by  the  opinion  of  gentlemen  dis- 
tinguished for  their  accurate  and  practical  acquaintance  with  chem- 
istry. I  will  quote  here  only  the  opinion  of  A.  A.  Hayes,  Esq., 
of  Roxbury,  as  I  shall  soon  have  occasion  to  present,  in  another 
connection,  the  views  of  another  gentleman,  which,  as  well  as  those 
of  Mr  Hayes,  will  always  command  great  respect.  The  latter, 
speaking  of  the  earthy  composition  of  soils  in  general,  says,  u  I  do 
not  think  that  minute  analyses  of  the  earthy  constituents  of  soils, 
have  the  valuable  practical  bearing  which  careful  comparative  results 
possess.  With  a  fondness  for  observing  influences,  considered  as 
minute,  I  should  hesitate,  with  even  such  a  bias,  to  attribute  to 
chemical  composition,  so  far  as  the  earths  are  concerned,  observed 
qualities  in  soils  of  great  importance  to  cultivation  ;  and  am  now 
strongly  of  the  opinion,  that  those  examinations  which  you  propose 
making,  will  not  only  show  our  farmers  the  light  of  new  knowledge, 
but  confer  on  them  a  practical  benefit,  in  teaching  the  proper  modes 
of  improving  soils."* 

In  examining  the  table  of  analyses,  above  presented,  it  should  be 
recollected,  that  the  amount  of  alumina  given,  is  only  that  which 
exists  in  the  finely  divided  portion  of  the  soil  that  remained  suspend- 
ed in  water  after  agitation.  In  a  single  case,  which  I  have  already 
stated,  the  siliceous  residuum  was  found  to  contain  more  iron  and 
alumina  than  the  aluminous  part.  But  this  was  a  peculiar  case  ;  and 
in  general,  the  siliceous  deposite  contains  little  but  siliceous  sand. 
Still,  where  it  contains  fragments  of  feldspar,  mica,  &c.,  analysis 
will  produce  alumina  and  iron,  although  they  must  be  in  such  a  slate 
as  to  operate  upon  cultivation  just  like  siliceous  sand,  until  decompo- 
sition begins.  I  have  made  only  a  single  analysis  to  determine  the 
quantity  of  alumina  and  iron  in  100  grains  of  the  entire  soil  ;  viz. 
No.  15,  a  tertiary  argillaceous  soil  from  Plymouth.  I  should  expect 
in  this  specimen  that  both  these  ingredients  would  be  above  the  aver- 
age quantity  in  the  soils  of  the  State.  The  following  is  the  result. 

*  I  trust  Mr.  Hayes  will  excuse  the  liberty  I  have  here  taken  in  quoting  from  a  private  letter. 


26               GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

Water  of  absorption  !>   *!?;      .         .      :o;.         2.7 

Organic  matter       .  .         * 'n      .          .              6.0 

Oxide  of  iron             .  .      ;  *•  >       .      ;Uv  ;      C.5 

Salts  soluble  in  water.  .         .         .             0.4 

Alumina           .         .  .     i-HfcrV^  ;?»:=.<••'•••<  19.2 

Silica  C5.2 


100 


The  degree  of  fineness  in  a  soil  is  undoubtedly  a  matter  of  much 
importance:  and  fortunately  the  means  of  determining  this  point  are 
within  the  reach  of  every  farmer,  in  the  manner  already  described. 
Since  silica  and  alumina  are  quite  inert  in  their  properties,  and  enter  but 
in  small  quantity  into  the  composition  of  plants,  it  is  probable  that  the 
one  may  to  a  great  extent  be  substituted  for  the  others  without  affect- 
ing the  vegetation,  provided  they  be  reduced  to  the  proper  degree  of 
fineness.  On  this  point  I  am  happy  to  quote  a  paragraph  from  Mr. 
Hayes,  in  which  he  gives  his  views  of  the  process  for  alumina  by 
Sir  Humphrey  Davy,  which  has  been  already  described. 

u  The  process  of  Sir  Humphrey  Davy  for  dissolving  alumina  in 
sulphuric  acid,"  says  he,  "is  by  no  means  exact.  It  was  his  inten- 
tion evidently,  to  dissolve  in  that  agent,  the  alumina  of  any  easily  de- 
composable mineral  existing  in  the  finer  parts  of  a  soil  j  and  in  this  appli- 
cation it  is  of  value.  Supposing  we  are  operating  on  a  white  clay  from 
Gay  Head.  Sulphuric  acid,  of  the  degree  of  1.30,  will  dissolve  at 
<509  F.  a  certain  small  portion  of  alumina  and  set  free  some  hydrate 
of  silica;  traces  of  potash  will  also  exist  in  the  fluid.  If  the  well  wash- 
ed residue,  be  boiled  for  two  hours  in  like  acid,  another  portion  of 
alumina  will  be  dissolved.  By  subsequently  mixing  the  residue  with 
concentrated  sulphuric  acid,  and  gradually  heating  the  mass  to  600° 
F.  another  quantity  of  the  same  base  is  taken  up;  and  after  water  has 
removed  all  soluble  matter  the  basic  sulphate  of  alumina  will,  in  a 
few  weeks,  cause  the  residue  to  effloresce.  These  effects  are  all 
referable  to  the  state  of  aggregation  of  the  particles,  not  only  as  re- 
gards fineness  of  powder,  but  permeability  of  structure.  In  soils  it  is 
probable  that  the  hydrates  of  the  earths,  as  such,  do  not  exist;  for  we 
find  always  that  a  relatively  electro-positive  body  appears  when  we 
dissolve  them.  As  the  influence  of  the  earths  is  most  important  to 


1838.  HOUSE—No.  52.  27 

vegetation,  in  supplying  the  fluid  favorable  to  its  support,  mnynot  the 
greater  or  less  degree  of  fineness  of  one  of  the  constituents  of  a  soil 
materially  change  its  nature?  The  process  of  absorption  and  reten- 
tion may  be  so  much  modified  by  comminution,  that  I  think  a  silico- 
ferruginous  soil  may  assume  the  characters  of  an  aluminous  soil  to  a 
certain  extent,  and  that  the  existence  of  a  due  proportion  of  finely  di- 
vided matter  is  of  more  consequence  than  is  its  composition. " 

But  even  though  the  quantity  of  the  earthy  constituents  of  a  soil 
may  vary  considerably  without  affecting  its  fertility,  yet  this  is  by  no 
means  the  case  with  its  other  constituents,  the  salts  and  organic  mat- 
ter. The  salts  especially,  admit  of  but  little  variation  without  pro- 
ducing sterility,  either  by  their  deficiency  or  excess;  and  hence  to 
determine  their  amount,  is  an  important  point  in  agricultural  chemis- 
try. And  the  differences  which  are  so  obvious  in  soils  derived  from 
different  rocks,  do  not  depend  entirely  upon  the  different  propor- 
tions of  the  earths  which  they  contain.  For  the  quantity  and  nature 
of  the  salts  resulting  from  the  decomposition  of  rocks  are  considera- 
bly different.  Thus,  we  should  expect  that  the  gneiss  and  granite 
soils  would  contain  a  larger  amount  than  usual  of  the  salts  of  potassa, 
and  where  sulphuretof  iron  prevails,  of  the  salts  of  iron:  the  porphy- 
ry soils,  of  the  salts  of  soda:  the  graywacke  and  sandstone  soils,  of 
the  salts  of  lime,  magnesia  and  perhaps  potassa,  and  soda;  the  mica 
slate  soils,  of  the  salts  of  magnesia  and  potassa;  the  talcose  slate  soil,  of 
the  salts  of  magnesia:  or  perhaps  more  commonly  we  should  find  the 
lirne  and  magnesia  uncombined  with  an  acid.  Such  differences  as 
these  in  the  constituents  of  soils, 'will  unquestionably  affect  their 
fertility;  and  it  would  be  desirable  to  ascertain  how  far  they  exist  in 
the  soils  of  Massachusetts.  I  had  hoped  to  accomplish  this  object: 
but  it  will  require  a  great  number  of  delicate  and  accurate  analyses, 
demanding  far  more  time  than  has  yet  been  allowed  me.  As  will 
be  seen  in  the  sequel,  I  have  attempted  to  determine  the  amount  of 
the  salts  of  lime  in  all  the  soils  that  I  have  collected;  but  it  will  need 
comparative  trials  by  the  ordinary  modes  of  analysis,  before  the  pe- 
culiar characteristics  of  the  different  classes  of  our  soils  can  be  point- 
ed out;  and  besides,  I  have  made  no  attempt  to  determine  the  ex- 
istence and  amount  of  potassa  and  soda  in  my  specimens.  In  sev- 
eral of  the  analyses,  whose  results  are  given  in  the  preceding  general 
table,  I  determined  the  existence  and  amount  of  pure  lime:  but  the 


28  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

results  appear  to  me  of  too  little  importance  to  give  in  detail;  espe- 
cially as  I  shall  soon  give,  what  I  consider  more  important  results  of 
a  similar  character,  obtained  in  another  way.  It  is  worth  stating, 
however,  that  in  all  cases  in  which  a  test  was  applied  to  the  solvent 
of  the  soils,  it(  showed  the  presence  of  lime;  though,  as  has  been 
stated,  very  few  specimens  contained  any  of  the  carbonate  of  lime.  In 
nearly  every  case,  also,  I  found  magnesia  to  be  present.  In  the 
following  instances  I  determined  its  amount,  which,  it  will  be  seen, 
is  small,  and  probably,  therefore,  of  little  consequence  in  an  agricul- 
tural point  of  view. 

No.  1.  Magnesia  per  cent  0.66,  alluvial  soil,  Deerfield. 

2.  "  "        0.57  "          Northampton. 

3.  "  "        0.01  "          Deerfield. 

4.  "  "        0.01  "          Northampton. 

5.  "  "        0.15  "  Northfield. 

6.  "  "        0.15  "          Northampton. 

7.  «  "         0.0 1  "  West  Springfield. 

8.  "  "        0.76  "          Stockbridge. 

9.  "  "        0.01  "  Hadley. 
10.         "             "        0.06           "  Sheffield. 

44.         "  u         1.66  magnesian  limestone  soil,  New  ) 

Marlborough.         ) 

50.  "  u        0.45  limestone  do,  Pittsfield. 

51.  "  "        0.76  "  Sheffield. 

108.  "  a        0.02  sienite  soil,  Gloucester. 

109.  "  "         0.01  "  Lexington. 

111.  "  "  0.05           "          Newbury. 

112.  "  "  0.50           "          Dedham. 
120.  "  "  0.05  porphyry  soil,  Medford. 
122.  "  "  0.05           "           Lynn. 

124.  "  "         0.10  greenstone  soil,  Woburn. 

125.  "  u        0.40  u          Deerfield. 

The  last  column  in  the  general  table  of  results  contains  the  amount 
of  peroxide  of  iron  in  the  aluminous  deposits  of  the  soils.  It  is  less 
than  the  quantity  in  the  entire  soil:  because,  although  the  siliceous 
part  contains  less  than  the  aluminous,  it  is  seldom  if  ever  free  from 
this  metal.  Upon  the  whole,  the  soils  of  Massachusetts  contain  a 
rather  large  per  cent  of  iron. 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  29 

As  to  the  effect  of  oxide  of  iron  upon  vegetation,  agricultural 
chemists  seem  in  general  to  have  formed  no  definite  opinion:  though 
the  idea  seems  to  be  rather  prevalent  that  it  is  generally  deleterious. 
It  is  well  known  that  iron  exists  in  two  states  in  rocks;  that  of  the 
protoxide,  and  the  peroxide;  the  latter  containing  more  oxygen  than 
the  former,     And  Chaptal,  the  distinguished  French  chemist,  thinks 
that  some  of  his  experiments  prove>  that  the  protoxide  is  decidedly 
injurious  to  vegetation.     But  from  the  fact  that  the  green  sand  marl 
of  New  Jersey  and  Virginia,  which  is  operating  so  favorably  upon  the 
lands  of  those   States,  contains  a  large  proportion  of  protoxide  of 
iron,  Prof.  William  B.  Rogers  suggests  whether  its  fertilizing  effects 
may  not  proceed  in  part  from  the  alkaline  reaction  of  the  protoxide. 
I  shall  soon  present  some  facts  and  reasonings  on  this  subject  by 
another  able  chemist,  which  go   to  show,  that  iron,  in  passing  into 
the  state  of  peroxide,  exerts  a  very  favorable  effect  upon  the  nutri* 
ment  in  soils:  and  that  when  in  the  state  of  peroxide,  its  effect  is 
good  as  a  general  fact.     In  general  the  iron  in  our  soils  is  already 
peroxidized,   though  not  always;  and  the  agricultural  character  of 
most  of  our  highly  ferruginous  soils,  as  for  instance  the  reddish  soils  in 
the  Brookfields,  in  Sturbridge,  Brimfield,  Wilbraham,  Longmeadow, 
West  Springfield,  &c.  confirms  the  opinion  that  iron,  although  it 
often  gives  a  meagre  aspect  to  the  fields,  is  yet,  in  moderate  quanti- 
ties, of  great  service.     This  we  might  presume  would  be  the  case, 
from  the  fact  that  it  is  found  in   nearly  all  plants  in  considerable 
quantity,  and  also  in  every  productive  soil.     As  however  this  opin- 
ion will  probably  be  controverted,  it  may  not  be  irrelevant  to  say, 
that  Massachusetts  affords  in   many  parts,  fine  opportunities  for  set* 
tling  the  question;  and  also  for  determining  in  what  state  and  pro- 
portion iron  is  best  adapted  for  agriculture. 

New  method  of  analysing  Soils* 

Without  stopping  to  suggest  any  means  for  supplying  the  deficien- 
cies which  the  preceding  analyses  have  shown  in  our  soils,  I  proceed 
to  the  developement  of  a  new  method  of  analysis,  which  I  very  un- 
expectedly received  from  a  distinguished  chemical  friend,  and  which 
he  has  allowed  me  to  present  in  this  Report,  with  its  application  to 
our  soils.  It  is  the  invention  of  Dr.  Samuel  L.  Dana  of  Lowell;  to 
4 


30  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

whom,  as  will  appear  in  the  sequel,  I  am  indebted  for  other  important 
assistance  in  the  way  of  analysis.  In  order  to  its  being  fully  under- 
stood and  appreciated,  a  few  preliminary  statements  from  myself,  in 
addition  to  those  by  Dr.  Dana,  will  be  necessary. 

Till  within  a  few  years  past,  the  state  in  which  vegetable  and  ani- 
mal matter  exists  in  the  soil,  and  the  changes  through  which  it  passes, 
before  being  taken  up  by  the  roots  of  the  plant,  were  almost  entirely 
unknown  to  chemists*  Long  ago,  however,  Klaproth  had  discover- 
ed a  peculiar  substance  in  the  elm  tree,  which  he  denominated  ulmin. 
More  recently  it  was  found  by  Braconnot  in  starch,  saw-dust,  and 
sugar;  and  by  the  distinguished  Swedish  chemist,  Berzelius,  in  all 
kinds  of  barks.  Sprengel,  and  Polydore  Boullay  have  ascertained, 
also,  that  it  constitutes  a  leading  principle  in  manures  and  soils. 
Hence  they  called  it  Humin;  but  Berzelius  adopts  the  name  of 
Geine.  When  wet,  it  is  a  gelatinous  mass,  which,  on  drying,  be- 
comes of  a  deep  brown  or  almost  black  color,  without  taste  or  smell, 
and  insoluble  in  water;  and,  therefore,  in  this  state  incapable  of  being 
absorbed  by  the  roots  of  plants.  Yet  after  the  action  of  alkalis  upon 
it,  it  assumes  the  character  of  an  acid,  and  unites  with  ammonia,  po- 
tassa,  lime,  alumina,  &c.,  and  forms  a  class  of  bodies  called  Geates, 
most  of  which  are  soluble  in  water,  and  therefore  capable  of  being  ta- 
ken up  by  plants.  And  it  is  in  the  state  of  geates,  that  this  substance 
for  the  most  part  exists  in  the  soil.  I  have  thought  it  might  at 
least  gratify  curiosity  and  perhaps  be  of  some  practical  use,  to  add 
specimens  of  these  forms  of  geine  to  the  collection  of  soils.  No. 
227  is  pure  geine:  No.  226  geate  of  potassa:  No.  225  geate  of  lime: 
No.  224  geate  of  alumina. 

It  is  but  justice  to  say,  that  Dr.  Dana  derived  his  knowledge  of 
geine  chiefly  from  his  own  researches,  made  with  a  view  to  improve 
the  coloring  processes  in  the  Calico  Printing  Establishment,  at  Low- 
ell: and  his  method  of  analysing  soils  is  altogether  original.  The 
statements  of  Berzelius,  indeed,  though  interesting  in  a  theoretical 
point  of  view,  afford  very  little  light  to  the  practical  agriculturist. 
Those  of  Dr.  Dana  appear  to  me  to  be  far  more  important  in  a  sci- 
entific as  well  as  practical  point  of  view;  although  essentially  coincid- 
ing with  those  European  chemists,  so  far  as  they  have  gone.  His 
method  of  analysis,  derived  from  his  researches,  I  must  say,  after 
having  made  extensive  application  of  it  to  our  soils,  is  simple  and  ele- 


1338.  HOUSE— No.  52.  31 

gant,  and  taken  in  connection  with  his  preliminary  remarks,  it  ap. 
pears  to  me  to  be  a  most  important  contribution  to  agricultural  chem- 
istry, and  promises  much  for  the  advancement  of  practical  agriculture. 
I  trust  it  will  be  favorably  received  by  the  government,  and  by  all  in- 
telligent men,  who  take  an  interest  in  the  subject.  His  preliminary 
remarks  and  rules  I  shall  now  present  in  his  own  language. 

u  By  geine,"  says  he,  "  I  mean  all  the  decomposed  organic  matter 
of  the  soil.  It  results  chiefly  from  vegetable  decomposition;  animal 
substances  produce  a  similar  compound  containing  azote.  There  may 
be  undecomposed  vegetable  fibre  so  minutely  divided  as  to  pass 
through  the  sieve;  (see  first  step  in  the  rules  for  analysis)  but  as  one 
object  of  this  operation  is  to  free  the  soil  from  vegetable  fibre,  the  por- 
tion will  be  quite  inconsiderable.  It  can  effect  only  the  amount  of  in- 
soluble geine.  When  so  minutely  divided,  it  will  probably  pass  in- 
to geine  in  a  season's  cultivation.  Geine  exists  in  two  states:  soluble 
and  insoluble:  soluble  both  in  water  and  in  alkali,  in  alcohol  and 
acids.  The  immediate  result  of  recent  decomposition  of  vegetable 
fibre  is  abundantly  soluble  in  water.  It  is  what  is  called,  Solution  of 
Vegetable  Extract.  Air  converts  this  soluble  into  solid  geine,  still 
partially  soluble  in  icater,  wholly  soluble  in  alkali.  Insoluble 
geine  is  the  result  of  the  decomposition  of  solid  geine;  but  this  insol- 
uble geine,  by  the  long  continued  action  of  air  and  moisture,  is  again 
so  altered  as  to  become  soluble.  It  is  speedily  converted  by  the 
action  of  lime  into  soluble  geine.  Soluble  geine  acts  neither  as  acid 
nor  alkali.  It  is  converted  into  a  substance  having  acid  properties  by 
the  action  of  alkali,  and  in  this  state  combines  with  earths,  alkalies, 
and  oxides,  forming  neutral  salts,  which  may  be  termed  geates. 
These  all  are  more  soluble  in  water  than  solid  geine;  especially  when 
they  are  first  formed.  Their  solubility  in  cold  water  is  as  follows: 
beginning  with  the  easiest,  magnesia — lime — manganese — peroxide 
of  iron — -(it  does  not  unite  with  the  protoxide  of  iron)  alumina — bary- 
ta. The  geates  of  the  alkaline  earths  are  decomposed  by  carbonated 
alkali.  The  geates  of  alumina  and  of  metallic  oxides  are  soluble  in 
caustic  or  carbonated  alkali  without  decomposition,  The  geates  of 
the  alkaline  earths,  by  the  action  of  the  carbonic  acid  of  the  air,  be- 
come super-geates,  always  more  soluble  than  neutral  salts.  Soluble 
geine,  therefore  includes  the  watery  solution^-the  solid  extract  caus- 


32  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 

ed  by  the  action  of  air  on  the  solution,  and  the  combinations  of  this 
with  alkalies,  earths,  and  oxides.  Insoluable  geine  includes  all  the 
other  forms  of  this  substance." 

"  Soluble  geine  is  the  food  of  plants.  Insoluble  geine  becomes 
food  by  air  and  moisture.  Hence  the  reason  and  result  of  tillage. 
Hence  the  reason  of  employing  pearlash  to  separate  soluble  and  insol- 
uble geine  in  analysis." 

"  These  are  the  facts.  Will  they  not  lead  us  to  a  rational  account 
of  the  use  of  lirne,  clay,  ashes  and  spent  ley?  Will  they  not  account 
for  the  superiority  of  unfermented  over  fermented  dung  in  some 
cases  ?" 

Dr.  Dana's  remarks  in  answer  to  these  inquiries  I  shall  omit  for 
the  present,  and  quote  the  remainder  of  his  remarks  preliminary  to  his 
rules  for  analysis.  If  any  sentences  seem  to  be  somewhat  repetitious 
of  those  already  quoted,  it  is  sufficient  to  say,  that  they  were  commu- 
nicated at  different  times,  in  private  letters,  in  answer  to  inquiries 
which  I  had  made,  that  I  might  be  sure  not  to  mistake  his  meaning. 
On  a  subject  so  new,  some  repetitions  are  not  undesirable. 

"  Geine  forms  the  basis  of  all  the  nourishing  part  of  all  vegetable 
manures.  The  relations  of  soils  to  heat  and  moisture  depend  chiefly 
on  geine.  It  is  in  fact,  under  its  three  states  of  '  vegetable  extract, 
geine,  and  carbonaceous  mould,'  the  principle  which  gives  fertility 
to  soils  long  after  the  action  of  common  manures  has  ceased.  In 
these  three  states  it  is  essentially  the  same.  The  experiments  of 
Saussure  have  long  ago  proved  that  air  and  moisture  convert  insolu- 
ble into  soluble  geine.  Of  all  the  problems  to  be  solved  by  agricul- 
tural chemistry,  none  is  of  so  great  practical  importance  as  the 
determination  of  the  quantity  of  soluble  and  insoluble  geine  in  soils. 
This  is  a  question  of  much  higher  importance  than  the  nature  and 
proportions  of  the  earthy  constituents  and  soluble  salts  of  soils.  It 
lies  at  the  foundation  of  all  successful  cultivation.  Its  importance 
has  been  not  so  much  overlooked  as  undervalued.  Hence,  on  this 
point  the  least  light  has  been  reflected  from  the  labors  of  Davy  and 
Chaptal.  It  needs  but  a  glance  at  any  analysis  of  soils,  published  in 
the  books,  to  see  that  fertility  depends  not  on  the  proportion  of  the 
earthy  ingredients.  Among  the  few  facts,  best  established  in  chem- 
ical agriculture,  are  these  :  that  a  soil,  whose  earthy  part  is  com- 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  33 

posed  wholly,  or  chiefly,  of  one  earth  ;  or  any  soil,  with  excess  of 
salts,  is  always  barren  ;  and  that  plants  grow  equally  well  in  all  soils, 
destitute  ofgetne,up  to  the  period  of  fructification, — failing  of  geine, 
the  fruit  fails,  the  plants  die.     Earths,  and  salts,  and  geine,  consti- 
tute, then,    all    that   is  essential  ;  and  soils  will  be  fertile,  in  pro- 
portion as   the  last    is  mixed  with  the  first.      The  earths  are    the 
plates,  the  salts  the  seasoning,  the  geine  the  food  of  plants.     The 
salts  can  be  varied  but  very  little  in  their  proportions,  without  injury. 
The  earths  admit  of  wide  variety  in  their  nature  and  proportions. 
I   would  resolve  all  into  'granitic  sand?  by   which  I  mean  the 
finely  divided,  almost  impalpable  mixture  of  the  detritus  of  granite, 
gneiss,  mica  slate,  sienite,  and  argillite  ;  the  last,  giving  by  analysis, 
a  compound  very  similar  to  the  former.     When  we  look  at  the 
analysis  of  vegetables,  we  find  these  inorganic  principles  constant 
constituents — silica,  lirne,   magnesia,   oxide  of  iron,  potash,  soda, 
and  sulphuric  and  phosphoric   acids.      Hence  these  will  be  found 
constituents  of  all  soils.     The  phosphats  have  been  overlooked  from 
the  known  difficulty  of  detecting  phosphoric  acid.     Phosphate  of 
lime  is  so  easily  soluble  when  combined  with  mucilage  or  gelatine, 
that  it  is   among  the  first  principles  of  soils  exhausted.     Doubtless 
the  good  effects,  the  lasting  effects,  of  bone  manure,  depend  more 
on  the  phosphat  of  lime,  than  on  its  animal  portion.     Though  the 
same  plants  growing  in   different  soils  are  found  to  yield  variable 
quantities  of  the  salts  and  earthy  compounds  ;  yet  I  believe,  that  ac- 
curate analysis  will  show,  that  similar  parts  of  the  same  species,  at 
the  same  age,  always  contain  the  inorganic  principles  above  named, 
when  grown  in  soils  arising  from  the  natural  decomposition  of  granite 
rocks.      These  inorganic  substances  will  be  found  not  only  in  con- 
stant quantity,  but  always  in   definite  proportion  to  the  vegetable 
portion  of  each  plant.     The  effect  of  cultivation  may  depend,  there- 
fore, much  more  on  the  introduction  of  salts  than  has  been  generally 
supposed.     The  salts  introduce  new  breeds.     So  long  as  the  salts 
and  earths  exist  in  the  soil,  so  long  will  they  form  voltaic  batteries 
with  the  roots  of  growing  plants  ;  by  which,  the  c  granitic  sand'  is 
decomposed  and  the  nascent  earths,  in  this  state  readily  soluble, 
are  taken  up  by  the  absorbents  of  the  roots,  always  a  living,  never 
a  mechanical  operation.    Hence  so  long  as  the  soil  is  granitic,  using 


34  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

the  term  as  ahove  defined,  so  long  is  it  as  good  as  on  the  day  of 
its  deposition  ;  salts  and  geine  may  vary,  and  must  be  modified 
by  cultivation.  The  universal  diffusion  of  granitic  diluvium  will 
always  afford  enough  of  the  earthy  ingredients.  The  fertile  charac- 
ter of  soils,  I  presume,  will  not  be  found  dependent  on  any  particu- 
lar rock  formation  on  which  it  reposes.  Modified  they  may  be,  to 
a  certain  extent,  by  peculiar  formations  ;  but  all  our  granitic  rocks 
afford,  when  decomposed,  all  those  inorganic  principles  which  plants 
demand.  This  is  so  true,  that  on  this  point  the  farmer  already 
knows  all  that  chemistry  can  teach  him.  Clay  and  sand,  every  one 
knows  :  a  soil  too  sandy,  too  clayey,  may  be  modified  by  mixture, 
but  the  best  possible  mixture  does  not  give  fertility.  That  depends 
on  salts  and  geine.  If  these  views  are  correct,  the  few  properties 
of  eeine  which  I  have  mentioned,  will  lead  us  at  once  to  a  simple 
and  accurate  mode  of  analysing  soils, — a  mode,  which  determines 
at  once  the  value  of  a  soil,  from  its  quantity  of  soluble  and  insoluble 
vegetable  nutriment, — a  mode,  requiring  no  array  of  apparatus,  nor 
delicate  experimental  tact, — one,  which  the  country  gentleman  may 
apply  with  very  great  accuracy  ;  and,  with  a  little  modification,  per- 
fectly within  the  reach  of  any  man  who  can  drive  a  team  or  hold  a 
plough." 

Rules  of  ^Analysis. 

1.  "  Sift  the  soil  through  a  fine  sieve.     Take  the  fine  part ;  bake 
it  just  up  to  browning  paper." 

2.  u  Boil   100  grains  of  the  baked  soil,  with   50  grains  of  pearl 
ashes,  saleratus  or  carbonate  of  soda,  in  4  ounces  of  water,  for  half 
an  hour  ;  let  it  settle  ;  decant  the  clear  ;  wash  the  grounds   with 
4  ounces  boiling  water  ;  throw  all  on  a  weighed  filter,  previously 
dried  at  the  same  temperature  as  was  the  soil,  (1)  ;  wash  till  color- 
less water  returns.     Mix  all  these  liquors.     It  is  a  brown  colored 
solution  of  all  the  soluble  geine.     All  sulphats  have  been  converted 
into  carbonates,  and   with  any  phosphats,  are  on  the  filter.      Dry 
therefore,  that,  with  its  contents,  at  the  same  heat  as  before.    Weigh 
— the  loss  is  soluble  geine." 

3.  "If  you  wish  to  examine  the  geine  ;  precipitate  the  alkaline 
solution  with  excess  of  lime-water.     The  geate  of  lime  will  rapidly 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  35 

subside,  and  if  lime-water  enough  has  been  added,  the  nitrous  liquor 
will  be  colorless.  Collect  the  geate  of  lime  on  a  filter  ;  wash  with 
a  little  acetic  or  very  dilute  muriatic  acid,  and  you  have  geine  quite 
pure.  Dry  and  weigh." 

4.  "  Replace  on  a  funnel  the  filter  (2)  and  its  earthy  contents;  wash 
with  2  drams  muriatic  acid,  diluted  with  three  times   its  bulk  of  cold 
water.     Wash  till  tasteless.     The  carbonate  and  phosphate  of  lime 
will  be  dissolved  with  a  little  iron,  which  has  resulted  from  the  de- 
composition of  any  salts  of  iron,  beside  a  little  oxide  of  iron.     The 
alumina  will  be  scarcely  touched.     We  may  estimate  all  as  salts  of 
lime.     Evaporate  the  muriatic  solution  to  dryness,  weigh  and  dis- 
solve in  boiling  water.     The  insoluble  will  be  phosphat  of  lime. 
Weigh — the  loss  is  the  sulphate  of  lime  ;  (I  make  no  allowance 
here  for  the  difference  in  atomic  weights  of  the  acids,  as  the  result 
is  of  no  consequence  in  this  analysis.)" 

5.  tc  The  earthy  residuum,  if  of  a  greyish  white  color,  contains  no 
insoluble  geine — test  it  by  burning  a  weighed  small  quantity  on  a  hot 
shovel — if  the  odor  of  burning  peat  is  given  off,  the  presence  of  in- 
soluble geine  is  indicated.     If  so,  calcine  the  earthy  residuum  and  its 
filter — the  loss   of  weight  will  give  the   insoluble  geine;  that  part 
which  air  and  moisture,  time  and  lime,  will  convert  into  soluble  vege- 
table food.     Any  error  here  will  be  due  to  the  loss  of  water  in  a  hy- 
drate, if  one  be  present,  but  these  exist  in  too  small  quantities  in 
4  granitic  sand,'  to  affect  the  result.     The  actual  weight  of  the  resi- 
duary mass  is  '  granitic  sand.' 

"The  clay,  mica,  quartz,  &c.  are  easily  distinguished.  If  your 
soil  is  calcareous,  which  may  be  easily  tested  by  acids;  then  before 
proceeding  to  this  analysis,  boil  100  grains  in  a  pint  of  water,  filter 
and  dry  as  before,  the  loss  of  weight  is  due  to  the  sulphate  of  Zime, 
even  the  sulphate  of  iron  may  be  so  considered;  for  the  ultimate  re- 
sult in  cultivation  is  to  convert  this  into  sulphate  of  lime." 

"  Test  the  soil  with  muriatic  acid,  and  having  thus  removed  the 
lime,  proceed  as  before,  to  determine  the  geine  and  insoluble  vegeta- 
ble matter-  "* 


*  In  applying  Dr.  Dana's  rules  given  in  the  text,  to  the  soils  of  Massachusetts,  I  found  it 
necessary  to  adopt  some  method  of  carrying  forward  several  processes  together.  1  accord- 
ingly made  ten  compartments  upon  a  table,  each  provided  with  apparatus  for  filtering  and 


36  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 

As  soon  as  made  acquainted  with  this  mode  of  analysis  it  appeared 
to  me  so  much  more  important  and  accurate  than  any  other  with  which 
I  was  conversant,  that  I  felt  determined,  if  possible,  to  apply  it  to 
at  least  a  part  of  the  soils  of  Massachusetts;  and  by  extra  efforts,  I 
have  the  pleasure  of  presenting  in  the  following  table  the  results  of 
its  application  to  all  our  soils  which  I  have  collected;  and  I  shall  show 
hereafter,  similar  results  with  our  marls,  clays,  and  other  substances, 
to  which  this  method  can  be  applied. 

It  is  proper  to  add,  that  the  doctrines  of  Berzelius  and  other  chem- 
ists respecting  geine,  have  been  strenuously  opposed  by  M.  F.  V. 
Raspail,  a  French  chemist,  in  his  new  system  of  Organic  Chemistry, 
translated  by  Dr.  Henderson,  and  published  in  London  in  1834. 
He  denies  the  existence  of  any  such  proximate  principle  in  soils  as 
geine,  and  says,  u  it  will  be  easy  to  see  that  all  these  phenomena 
(described  by  Berzelius  and  others)  apparently  so  varied,  which  have 
given  room  for  the  discovery  of  so  many  substances  analogous  in 
their  nature  to  ulmin,  are  essentially  nothing  but  a  developement  of 
carbon."  To  prove  this  position  he  enters  into  a  long  argument. 
This,  however,  did  not  convince  Berzelius  that  he  had  committed 
an  error;  but  he  was  led  rather  to  express  a  still  stronger  conviction 
of  the  truth  of  his  positions.  It  is  not  thought  proper  in  this  place 
to  enter  into  this  discussion.  But  it  has  occurred  to  me,  that  even 
if  Raspail  had  shown  that  geine  is  nothing  but  carbon,  it  can  hardly 
be  doubted  by  any  one  who  has  made  any  experiments  on  the  sub* 
ject,  that  in  all  its  forms  of  geine,  geic  acid,  and  geates,  it  is  soluble 
to  such  an  extent  as  to  be  capable  of  being  taken  up  by  the  roots  of 
plants;  and  if  so  it  is  not  of  much  importance  by  what  name  it  is  call- 
ed: nor  will  it  affect  essentially  Dr.  Dana's  rules  of  analysis.  Ras- 
pail, however,  asserts  that  geine  is  never  actually  dissolved,  but  only 
suspended!  Plants,  he  conceives,  are  nourished  almost  entirely  by 
carbonic  acid;  and  in  following  out  his  views  on  this  point  he  is  led 
to  the  strange  conclusion — a  legitimate  one,  however,  from  his  pre- 

precipitations,  also  10  numbered  flasks,  10  evaporating  dishes,  and  a  piece  of  sheet 
iron  pierced  with  ten  holes,  for  receiving  the  same  number  of  crucibles.  I  provided,  also, 
a  sheet  iron  oven,  with  a  tin  bottom  large  enough  to  admit  10  filters,  arranged  in  proper  or- 
der, and  a  hole  in  the  top  to  admit  a  thermometer.  The  sand  bath  was  also  made  large 
enough  for  receiving  the  ten  flasks  In  this  manner  I  was  able  to  conduct  ten  processes 
with  almost  as  great  facility  as  one  could  have  been  carried  forward  in  the  usual  way. 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  37 

mises  and  no  small  proof  that  they  are  erroneous — that,  u  possibly,  by 
artificially  supplying  to  the  plant,  the  carbonic  acid  which  is  necessa- 
ry to  its  growth,  the  use  of  any  kind  of  manure  may  be  dispensed 
with!  In  fact,  if  a  small  plant  be  reared  in  pure  sand,  taking  care 
to  water  it  frequently,  it  will  thrive  and  flower  without  difficulty."  As 
to  the  truth  of  this  statement,  here  made,  this  writer  will  probably  find 
but  few  chemists  at  this  day  who  will  agree  with  him.  They  will 
doubt  whether,  in  all  such  cases,  the  "  pure  sand"  or  the  water  em- 
ployed has  not  contained  minute  quantities  of  the  substances  found  in 
the  plant,  which  neither  pure  water  nor  pure  silica  can  supply.  Or  if 
they  admit  that  the  plant  might  be  made  to  grow  till  the  time  of  flow- 
ering in  pure  sand;  they  will  deny  that  it  can  be  made  to  produce 
fruit  without  the  presence  of  geine.  At  any  rate  until  carbonic  acid 
can  be  artificially  supplied  to  plants,  which  even  Raspail  would 
not  suppose  can  ever  be  done  on  such  a  scale  as  to  supersede  the 
necessity  of  manures,  decomposed  organic  matter  must  be  essential  in 
cultivation;  and  to  ascertain  the  amount  and  condition  of  this,  is  one 
great  object  of  Dr.  Dana's  rules  of  analysis:  nor  will  their  value  be 
the  less,  because  chemists  are  not  entirely  agreed  as  to  the  nature  of 
the  nutritive  principle,  and  because  we  have  some  things  yet  to  learn 
respecting  geine.* 

*  Some  valuable  and  interesting  statements  respecting  geine,  may  be  found  in  the  "Pen- 
ny Cyclopedia,"  Article,  Arable  Land ;  also  in  the  Edinburgh  Quarterly  Journal  of  Agri- 
culture. • '  . 


GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.         March 


JIABJO  ogioadg 


•sjaquinj^  JBUOIJ 
-aodojj  ut  aaA\oj  Suiqaosqy 


•8jnot{  f>g  ui 
•&  oOOS  <H  paWq  smviS  QOI 


COO  —  C^OirJ'OGSOiOOiOCC'— 


•ejBqdsoqj 


0  •«*  CO  Oi  O  (X)  CO  Oi  i>  i>  00  O  -^  O  00  OS  O  •«*  ?O  -^   CX) 

01  oi  r-^  d  rH  c^j  i-^  oJ  c>i  r-?  d  i-i  oi  <-i  IH  d  co  d  r-i  d     d 


•gulag  eiqnjosuj 

00 CO  Of  00  -*t  C*  CO  1C  CO  W  1C  OOOOOi^t*QOlO^O 
iaO  9iqn[0g 

w 

'ijlll '   '  : 
•    •    •  fllH^    --0- 

*       i  i  ri« 

*^         *J     •«  *f    bn  OJD 
riSi<fE.g?        T!^    =    3 

1 

3 

§  <S  02       "  j""   oT 

K  a  Zl0000^0! 

2  ^*^3  ^3  ^3  rO   ^^"^   ^* 

II        |  !-§• 

<5  H 

•aaqmnjj 


1838.  HOUSE—No.  52.  39 


rHOCO«OWCOO^QOQOt>.Cq?pW5pCO>ftOOlftOpfH 

c^  « i^  ci  fit  ^  ^  dt  i^  et  ^  w  c€  cd«  «  oo  cl  w  w  » »rf 


C5  O  O  i-?  O  i-4  O  O  O  O  d  O  O  i-i  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  i-<"  O  r-i  i-J 


00  OJ 
O  CO 


p 

•T3' 


a  lIU  . 


-   fe 


111    »?      .     .  2  -  5  ^     « 

V  .A  *e     •»  A    ••  •     •.  &C5I         tiO^b         oQc'ai^T11" I'w^i^^^"— lv*-'i^>^        ^ 

<-.    -i    -    r^ti    ^g    dT  ef^     -'O   O     ^^   aSo3.SC  O^TS 

B«8S&5¥I4$5#s!:t!fe-4  «S-2 


K 


£     £4  I  J, 

S'&^OrS? 

Oq  -o   w  ^5  JQ  OOOOOOOOOOOOO 

<u  T3  T3  n3  ^  nd  T3  'O  n3  ^  -d  'd  TJ  -O 


, 

CCooSoOOOOOOO'000 

p 


o 


40 


GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 


•£)IA«J*)  ogioadg 


•sjaqtun^j  JBUOIJ 
jodojj  ui  JOA\O  j  Suiqaosqv 


•sjnoq  %  ui  paqjosqu 
J  eOOS  <n  P»r»a'q  sut^S  001 


COt^OOOOiOtOOtMr^ 

irt  ^  <d  ^  o  <o  us  «  rt 


o  <o  us  «  rt  «  «  «  w  co  eo 


CO—iiO 

«  «  <o 


•pUBg  011JUBJ9 


QOQo66cX)OiOOOOO5OiO500QOCX)OiOCJOiOlOiOOQO 


>4  ^4  c>  o?  —  *  o  f-i  o*  o*  o  o  «-i  o*  d  1-1 


OOWOOiCO  — 


*f  ¥' 

»£   I 


tT  «f" 


'' 


•  1  J 


ooooooooo 


o  o  o  o  o  o 


o 
013 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  41 

^.^^^^^ 


»O^<Ttl^faOOOO»CO 
W 


oo 


0? 


-v 
a 


-B    I 

IM 


'S'dr 

c  -2 


llililllllllllillliilllMlllllMl 

°  J,       ^ 


O  CQ 


GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.      March, 


jiABJj)  ogioadg 


•siaqmnjj  JBUOIJ 
-lodojj  ui  I9AVOJ  guiqaosqy 


r-t  r^  i—  i  i—  I         i—  i 


•sanoq  fg  ui  paqaosqT? 
•J  °008  °i  pa' 


•9U1 


!z; 


0,0000000^ 

1  I* 

OQ  PH 


o  o 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  43 

Explanation  of  the  preceding  Table  of  Results  with  Remarks  and 

Inferences. 

The  first  and  second  columns  need  no  explanation  :  and  the  char- 
acter of  the  third  and  fourth  will  be  fully  understood,  after  reading 
the  remarks  of  Dr.  Dana  that  precede  the  Table.  They  show  us 
the  amount  of  nutriment  in  the  soils  of  Massachusetts  ;  also  how 
much  of  it  is  in  a  fit  state  to  be  absorbed  by  plants,  and  how  much 
of  it  will  need  further  preparation.  As  this  is  probably  the  first  at- 
tempt that  has  been  made  to  obtain  the  amount  of  geine  in  any  con- 
siderable number  of  soils,  we  cannot  compare  the  results  with  those 
obtained  in  other  places.  They  will  be  convenient,  however,  for 
comparison  with  future  analysis  ;  and  we  learn  from  them,  that  geine, 
in  both  its  forms,  abounds  in  the  soils  of  the  state,  and  that  it  most 
abounds  where  most  attention  has  been  paid  to  cultivation.  It  ought 
to  be  recollected,  that  I  took  care  not  to  select  the  richest  or  the 
poorest  portions  of  our  soils  ;  so  that  the  geine  in  this  table  is  proba- 
bly about  the  average  quantity.  It  is  hardly  probable  that  the  num- 
ber of  specimens  analysed  from  the  different  varieties  of  our  soils  is 
sufficiently  large  to  enable  us  to  form  a  very  decided  opinion  as  to 
their  comparative  fertility,  especially  when  we  recollect  how  much 
more  thorough  is  the  cultivation  in  some  parts  of  the  state  than  in 
others.  It  may  be  well,  however,  to  state  the  average  quantity  of 
geine  in  the  different  geological  varieties  of  our  soils,  which  is  as  follows : 

Insoluble  Geine. 

-  2.15 

I»-/H.  5.22 

-  2.14 
:o*dl  4.00 

QA      •     4.53 

-.cBJrvl      4.04 

-  4.60 

H!Jr<          4.60 

-  3.40 
q  ru      3.87 

-  4.50 
4.10 

-  6.10 


Alluvium, 

Soluble  Geine. 

2.25     - 

Tertiary  argillaceous 

soils, 

3.94 

Sandstone 

do. 

3.28     - 

Graywacke 

do. 

3.60 

Argillaceous  slate 

do. 

5.77     - 

Limestone, 

do. 

3.40 

Mica  slate 

do. 

4.34     - 

Talcose  slate 

do. 

3.67 

Gneiss 

do. 

4.30     - 

Granite 

do. 

4.05 

Sienite 

do. 

4.40     - 

Porphyry 

do. 

5.97 

Greenstone 

do. 

4.56     - 

44  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 

One  fact  observable  in  the  above  results  may  throw  doubts  over 
the  fundamental  principles  that  have  been  advanced  respecting  geine ; 
viz.,  that  it  constitutes  the  food  of  plants,  and  that  they  cannot  flour- 
ish without  it.  It  appears  that  our  best  alluvial  soils  contain  less  geine, 
in  both  its  forms,  than  any  other  variety,  except  those  very  sandy 
ones  that  are  not  noticed  in  the  above  results,  because  their  number 
is  so  small.  Ought  we  hence  to  infer  that  alluvium  is  a  poor  soil  ? 
I  apprehend  that  we  can  infer  nothing  from  this  fact  against  alluvial 
soils,  except  that  they  are  sooner  exhausted  than  others,  without 
constant  supplies  of  geine.  For  if  a  soil  contain  enough  of  this  sub- 
stance abundantly  to  supply  a  crop  that  is  growing  upon  it,  that  crop 
may  be  large  although  there  is  not  enough  geine  to  produce  another. 
Now  analysis  shows  that  our  alluvial  soils  contain  enough  of  geine  for 
any  one  crop  :  and  I  apprehend  that  their  chief  excellence  consists 
in  being  of  such  a  degree  of  fineness  that  they  allow  air,  moisture, 
and  lime,  rapidly  to  convert  vegetable  matter  into  soluble  geine,  and 
yield  it  up  readily  to  the  roots  of  plants  :  but  I  presume  that  without 
fresh  supplies  of  manure,  they  would  not  continue  to  produce  as  long 
as  most  of  the  other  soils  in  the  state.  A  considerable  part  of  our 
alluvia  are  yearly  recruited  by  a  fresh  deposite  of  mud,  which  almost 
always  contains  a  quantity  of  geine  and  of  the  salts  of  lime,  in  a  fine 
condition  for  being  absorbed  by  the  rootlets  of  plants.  And  on  other 
parts  of  alluvial  tracts,  our  farmers,  I  believe,  are  in  the  habit  of  ex- 
pecting but  a  poor  crop  unless  they  manure  it  yearly.  Yet  so  finely 
constituted  are  these  soils,  that  even  if  exhausted,  they  are  more 
easily  restored  than  most  others ;  so  that  taking  all  things  into  the 
account,  they  are  among  the  most  valuable  of  our  soils  ;  and  yet  I 
doubt  whether  they  produce  as  much  at  one  crop  as  many  other 
soils  ;  though  the  others  perhaps  require  more  labor  in  cultivation. 

The  amount  of  soluble  and  insoluble  geine  obtained  by  Dr.  Dana's 
method  of  analysis,  ought  to  correspond  pretty  nearly  with  the  amount 
of  organic  matter  obtained  by  the  old  method ;  and  by  comparing  the 
two  tables  of  results  that  have  been  given,  it  will  be  seen  that  such  is 
the  fact.  Several  circumstances,  however,  besides  errors  of  analy- 
sis, will  prevent  a  perfect  agreement.  In  the  first  place,  by  the  old 
method  of  analysis,  100  grains  of  the  soil  are  weighed  before  expell- 
ing the  water  of  absorption  ;  but  by  the  new  method,  not  until  after 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  45 

its  expulsion.  Again,  by  the  old  method  only  the  very  coarse  parts 
of  the  soil  are  separated  by  the  sieve  :  but  a  fine  sieve  is  used  by  the 
new  mode,  and  this  removes  nearly  all  the  vegetable  fibre,  which  by 
the  other  method  is  reckoned  a  part  of  the  organic  matter.  Other 
causes  of  difference  might  be  named  :  and  hence  we  ought  not  to 
expect  a  perfect  agreement  in  the  results  of  the  two  methods. 

The  three  next  columns  in  the  Table  contain  the  salts  of  lime  in 
our  soils.  I  have  already  described  the  infrequency  of  the  carbonate  ; 
but  very  different  is  the  case  with  the  sulphate  and  the  phosphate 
which  were  found  in  greater  or  less  quantity,  in  every  soil  analysed. 
In  respect  to  the  sulphate  of  lime,  or  gypsum,  it  may  not  be  unex- 
pected that  we  should  find  it  in  all  soils,  since  we  know  it  to  occur 
in  all  natural  waters  throughout  the  state ;  and  we  cannot  conceive  of 
any  other  source  from  which  the  water  could  have  derived  it,  except 
the  soil.  But  the  phosphate  of  lirne  has  generally  been  supposed  to 
be  much  more  limited,  nay  to  be  scarcely  found  in  soils,  except 
where  animal  substances  have  been  used  for  manure.  It  is  possible 
that  in  all  the  soils  which  I  have  analysed,  such  might  have  been  its 
origin,  though  not  very  probable.  Yet  there  is  strong  reason  to 
believe,  that  this  salt  is  a  constituent  of  all  soils  in  their  natural  state. 
The  arguments  on  this  subject  are  stated  so  ably  by  Dr.  Dana  that 
I  need  only  quote  from  his  letter. 

"  When  we  consider  that  the  bones  of  all  graminivorous  animals 
contain  nearly  50  per  cent  of  phosphate  of  lime,  we  might  be  at  liberty 
to  infer  the  existence  of  this  principle,  in  the  food,  and,  consequent- 
ly, in  the  soil,  on  which  these  animals  graze.  If  we  look  at  the  ac- 
tual result  of  the  analysis  of  beets,  carrots,  beans,  peas,  potatoes,  as- 
paragus, and  cabbage,  we  find  phosphate  of  lime,  magnesia,  and  pot- 
ash, varying  from  0.04  to  1.00  per  cent  of  the  vegetable.  Indian 
corn  too,  by  the  analysis  of  the  late  Professor  Gorham,  of  Harvard 
College,  contains  1.5  per  cent  phosphate  and  sulphate  of  lime.  It 
may  be  said  that  this  is  all  derived  from  the  manure.  We  shall  see 
by  and  by.  Let  us  look  at  the  extensive  crops  often  raised,  where 
man  has  never  manured.  Rice,  wheat,  barley,  rye,  and  oats,  .all 
contain  notable  portions  of  phosphate  of  lime,  not  only  in  the  grain 
but  in  the  straw,  and  often  in  the  state  of  superphosphats.  The 
diseases  too,  ergot  and  smut,  show  free  phosphoric  acid.  Can  it  be 
6 


46  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

that,  owing  to  certain  electrical  influences  of  the  air,  in  particular 
seasons,  lime  is  not  secreted  by  the  plant  to  neutralise  the  free 
acid  ?  May  not  this  be  a  cause  of  smut  and  ergot  ?  Does  it  not 
point  out  a  remedy  ?  Take  too  the  cotton  crop  of  our  country. 
What  vast  quantities  of  phosphats  do  we  thus  annually  draw  from  the 
soil  ?  Cotton  gives  one  per  cent  ashes,  of  which  17  per  cent  is 
composed  of  phosphat  of  lime  and  magnesia.  The  like  is  true  of  to- 
bacco. It  contains  0.16  per  cent  of  phosphat  of  lime.  If  we  turn  to 
the  analysis  of  forest  trees,  we  find  that  the  pollen  of  the  pinus  abies, 
wafted  about  in  clouds,  is  composed  of  3  per  cent  phosphat  of  lime 
and  potash.  May  not  this  too  be  one  of  nature's  beautiful  modes 
of  supplying  phosphoric  acid  to  plants  and  to  soils  ?  If,  as  the  late 
experiments  of  Peschier  have  proved,  sulphat  of  lime,  in  powder,  is 
decomposed  by  growing  leaves,  the  lime  liberated,  and  the  sulphuric 
acid  combining  with  the  potash  in  the  plant,  why  may  not  phosphat 
of  lime,  applied  by  pollen,  act  in  the  same  way  ?  At  any  rate,  the 
existence  of  phosphat  of  lime  in  our  forest  soils  is  proved  not  only 
by  its  existence  in  the  pollen,  but  by  its  actual  detection  in  the  ashes 
of  pines  and  other  trees. — 100  parts  of  the  ashes  of  wood  of  pinus 
abies  give  3  per  cent  phos.  iron  ;  100  parts  of  the  ashes  of  the  coal 
of  pinus  sylvestris  give  1.72  phos.  lime,  0.25  phos.  iron  ;  100  parts 
of  ashes  of  oak  coal  give  7.1  phos.  lime,  3.7  phos.  iron  ; 
100  ashes  of  Bass  wood  5.4  "  3.2  " 
"  "  Birch  7.3  "  1.25  " 

"       "          Oak  wood    1.8          " 
"       "          Alder  coal    3.45        «          9.  " 

"  These  are  the  calculated  results  from  Berthier's  very  accurate  an- 
alyses, and  those  very  curious  crystals — detected  in  some  plants — 
the  "  raphides"  of  DeCandolle,  are  some  of  them  bibasic  phosphats 
of  lime  and  magnesia.  Phosphat  of  iron,  we  know,  is  common  in 
turf ;  bog  ore,  and  some  barren  and  acid  soils  owe  their  acidity  to 
free  phosphoric  acid.  If  we  allow  that  our  untouched  forest  soil 
contains  phosphat  of  lime,  it  may  be  said,  that  this,  being  in  small 
quantity,  will  be  soon  exhausted  by  cultivation,  and  that  the  phos- 
phats, which  we  now  find  in  cultivated  fields,  rescued  from  the  forest, 
is  due  to  our  manure ; — I  give  you  the  general  result  of  my  analysis 
of  cow  dung,  as  the  best  argument  in  reply.  My  situation  and  duties 


1838. 


HOUSE— No  52. 


47 


have  led  me  to  this  analysis.  I  give  you  it,  in  such  terms  as  the 
farmer  may  comprehend  :  water,  83.60;  hay,  14.;  biliary  matter, 
(bile  resin,  bile  fat  and  green  resin  of  hay,)  1.275  ;  geine  combined 
with  potash,  (vegetable  extract,)  0.95  ;  albumen,  0.175." 

"  The  hay  is  little  more  altered  than  by  chewing.  The  albumen  has 
disappeared,  but  its  green  resin,  wax,  sulphat  and  phosphat  lime 
remain,  and  when  we  take  100  parts  of  dung,  among  its  earthy  salts 
we  get  about  0.23  parts  phosphat,  O.J2  carbouat,  and  0.12  sulphat 
of  lime.  Now,  a  bushel  of  green  dung  as  evacuated  weighs  about 
87.5  Ibs.  Of  this  only  2.40  per  cent  are  soluble.  Of  this  portion 
only  0.95  can  be  considered  as  soluble  geine." 

Western  Soils. 

In  addition  to  the  preceding  arguments  respecting  the  existence  of 
phosphate  of  lime  in  the  soils,  I  would  state  that  I  found  it  in  every 
analysis  which  I  have  made  of  the  Berkshire  marls,  the  results  of 
which  I  shall  soon  present.  I  have  also  recently  analysed  five  spe- 
cimens of  soils  from  Ohio  and  Illinois,  presented  to  me  by  H.  G. 
Bovvers,  Esq.,  formerly  of  Northampton,  in  this  state,  and  now  resi- 
dent in  Illinois.  They  were  taken  from  some  of  the  most  productive 
spots  in  those  states,  and,  in  regard  to  some  of  them,  it  is  certain,  that 
no  animal  or  any  other  manure  has  ever  been  applied  by  man,  and  at 
least  one  of  them  seems  not  to  have  been  cultivated,  so  far  as  I 
can  judge  from  its  appearance.  Yet  all  these  soils  contain  phosphate 
of  lime.  The  following  are  the  results  of  their  analysis  ;  which  I 
give,  partly  because  of  the  subject  under  consideration,  and  partly 
because  I  thought  it  might  be  gratifying  to  compare  the  composition 
of  some  of  the  best  soils  at  the  west  with  those  in  Massachusetts. 


1.1 

• 
lj 

"o'3 

3 

1  i 

u 

«  * 

ss 

5  *c 

e  c 

«*-   B 
O   O 

s  & 

Remarks. 

&u 

JO 

"a 
CO 

£° 

& 

if 

^1 

Rushville,       Illinois, 

7.4 

2.5 

3.4 

0.6 

1.5 

84.6 

6.3 

Sangamon  co.,  do. 

4.9 

5.6 

1.2 

0.4 

13 

86.6 

6.3 

Lazelle  county,  do. 

7.6 

13.8 

1.4 

0.4 

3.3 

73.5 

9.5 

Apparently    never 

Peoria  county,  do. 

3.1 

4.8 

3.5 

1.0 

87.6 

5.7 

cultivated. 

Sciota  Valley,  Ohio, 

4.5 

6.7 

2.1 

0.9 

2.8 

83.0 

5.3 

Cultivated  14  years 

without  manure 

48  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.      March, 

The  above  soils  are  evidently  of  the  very  first  quality  :  the  geine 
being  in  large  proportion,  and  the  salts  quite  abundant  enough,  while 
there  is  still  a  small  supply  of  carbonate  of  lime  to  convert  more  in- 
soluble into  soluble  geine,  whenever  occasion  demands.  Still,  if  we 
compare  the  preceding  analyses  with  some  of  those  that  have  been 
given  of  the  Massachusetts  soils,  the  superiority  of  the  western  soils 
will  not  appear  as  great  as  is  generally  supposed.  And  there  is  one 
consideration  resulting  from  the  facts  that  have  been  stated  re- 
specting geine,  that  ought  to  be  well  considered  by  those  who  are 
anxious  to  leave  the  soil  of  New  England  that  they  may  find  a  more 
fertile  spot  in  the  West.  Such  soils  they  can  undoubtedly  find  ;  for 
geine  has  been  for  ages  accumulating  from  the  decomposition  of  veg- 
etation in  regions  which  have  not  been  cultivated  :  and  for  many 
years,  perhaps,  those  regions  will  produce  spontaneously.  But  al- 
most as  certain  as  any  future  event  can  be,  continued  cultivation  will 
exhaust  the  geine  and  the  salts,  and  other  generations  must  resort  to 
the  same  means  for  keeping  their  lands  in  a  fertile  condition  as  are 
now  employed  in  Massachusetts,  viz.,  to  provide  for  the  yearly  sup- 
ply of  more  geine  and  more  salts. 

Importance  of  the  Salts  of  Lime. 

To  return  from  this  digression,  I  apprehend  that  the  importance 
of  the  salts  of  lime  in  a  soil  is  but  little  appreciated  by  farmers  in 
general.  Their  crops  may  fail,  although  they  have  manured  and 
tended  them  well  ;  but  it  is  almost  always  easy  to  find  a  cause  that 
satisfies,  in  the  character  of  the  season  ;  but  hard  to  convince  them 
that  the  failure  may  have  been  owing  to  the  deficiency  of  a  single 
grain  in  a  hundred,  of  some  substance,  that  can  be  discovered  when 
present,  only  by  chemical  examination.  And  yet,  I  doubt  not  many 
a  crop  has  failed  from  the  want  of  that  one  per  cent  of  sulphate  or 
phosphate  of  lime.  Facts,  indeed,  seem  to  me  to  warrant  the  con- 
clusion, that,  without  lime  in  some  form,  land  will  not  produce  any 
valuable  vegetation. 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  49 


Granitic  Sand. 

The  eighth  column  contains  the  granitic  sand  in  our  soils,  accord- 
ing to  Dr.  Dana's  definition.  Its  amount  is  obtained  by  subtracting 
the  amount  of  the  geine  and  salts  of  lime  from  100.  No  notice  is 
taken  in  this  case  of  the  water  of  absorption,  because  the  100  grains 
operated  upon  were  not  weighed  out  till  that  water  had  been  driven  off. 

This  granitic  sand  consists  of  all  the  earthy  and  metallic  ingredients 
of  the  soil  except  lime,  which  has  been  separated  by  the  process. 
But  concerning  the  nature  and  uses  of  the  earthy  part  of  a  soil, 
enough  has  already  been  said. 

Power  of  the  Soils  to  absorb  Water. 

It  is  generally  known,  that  soils  possess  the  power  of  absorbing 
moisture  in  different  degrees.  This  power  depends  more  upon  the 
geine  of  soils,  than  any  other  principle.  Alumina  stands  next  on  the 
list  in  its  degree  of  absorbing  power  ;  next,  carbonate  of  lime  ;  and 
least  of  all,  silica.  Hence  there  ought  to  be  a  general  correspondence 
between  the  absorbing  power  of  a  soil  and  its  fertility  ;  and,  there- 
fore, this  property  affords  some  assistance  in  estimating  the  value  of 
a  soil.  On  this  account  I  was  desirous  to  get  the  power  of  absorp- 
tion possessed  by  the  soils  of  Massachusetts.  100  grains  were  heated 
to  300°  F.  and  then  exposed  on  a  small  earthen  plate  for  24  hours, 
in  a  cellar,  whose  temperature  remained  nearly  the  same  from  day  to 
day.  The  thermometer  stood  in  it  at  37°  F. ;  and  the  dew  point, 
by  Daniell's  Hygrometer,  was  33°  F.  At  the  end  of  24  hours,  the 
soils  in  the  plates  were  again  weighed,  and  the  number  of  grains 
which  they  had  gained  was  put  into  the  ninth  column.  For  the  sake 
of  showing  at  a  glance  the  absorbing  power,  it  is  expressed  in  the 
tenth  column  by  proportional  numbers  ;  5  grains  absorbed,  being 
equal  to  100. 

I  find  the  winter  to  be  a  most  unfavorable  time  for  experiments  of 
this  sort ;  and  I  place  but  little  reliance  upon  the  results  which  I 
have  obtained.  As  the  experiments  were  performed,  however,  with 
a  good  deal  of  care,  I  thought  it  best  to  give  them,  after  stating  all 
the  circumstances  under  which  they  were  made. 


50  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.      March, 


Power  of  Soils  to  retain  Water. 

Still  more  unfavorable  is  the  season  of  winter  for  experiments  up- 
on the  power  of  soils  to  retain  water ;  a  power  which  is  by  no  means 
always  proportional  to  their  absorbing  power.  I  did,  however,  at- 
tempt to  perform  experiments  of  this  sort,  by  adding  100  grains  of  wa- 
ter to  200  grains  of  soil  upon  broad  earthen  plates,  and  exposing  them 
to  the  sun  in  a  clear  day,  for  three  hours.  As  it  was  impossible, 
however,  to  go  through  with  all  the  soils  in  one  day  in  this  manner, 
the  results  on  different  days  cannot  be  compared  ;  because  evapora- 
tion is  very  different  upon  different  days,  even  though  the  air  be 
clear,  and  the  wind  westerly,  and  the  temperature  nearly  the  same  ; 
which  were  the  circumstances  under  which  the  experiments  were 
performed.  I  will  give  here,  however,  some  of  the  results  obtained 
by  this  process  ;  although  I  cannot  see  that  they  are  of  much  impor- 
tance. 200  grains  of  soil,  with  100  grains  of  water,  lost,  in  three 
hours,  as  follows  : 

January  ibth.  January  \6th. 

No.  of  Soil.  No.  of  Soil. 

2  lost  74.5  gr.   43  lost  85.8  gr. 

45  "  90.6  44  "  82.5 

47  "  88.0  50  "  92.9 

51  "  83.5  58  "  83.5 

54  "  83.4  60  "  92,7 

56  "  90.1  63  "  89.6 

59  "  91.0  65  "  85.3 

87  "  86.6  67  "  85.8 

94  "  94.0  70  "  88.1 

96  "  83.0  71  .  "  83.5 

122  "  81.5  77  "  75.7 

79  "  80.2 

January  \6th.  89  "  79.1 

8  "  81.7  90  "  87.4 

40  "  75.4  93  "  77.5 

41  "  78.4  98  "  82.7 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  51 


January 

Mfc 

February 

23d. 

No.  of  Soil, 

No.  of  Soil. 

101    lost 

76.7  gr. 

55 

lost 

57.5  gr. 

104     " 

80.3 

58 

a 

58.0 

106     " 

83.6 

61 

u 

66.5 

108     " 

85.4 

62 

u 

63.0 

64 

u 

66.0 

January  23d. 

66 

i< 

68.0 

11     « 

59.7 

68 

u 

65.0 

12     " 

58.2 

69 

K 

62.0 

14     " 

64.7 

73 

U 

63.5 

22     " 

53.8 

74 

u 

65.0 

28     " 

53.9 

75 

(C 

55.9 

33     " 

52.0 

76 

u 

64.9 

34     " 

59.4 

78 

u 

57.3 

39     " 

57-8 

80 

it 

64.7 

42     " 

55.2 

81 

it 

55.0 

46     " 

52.5 

82 

u 

64.7 

48     " 

54.5 

83 

cc 

57.0 

84 

u 

58.9 

February 

10th. 

85 

« 

54.3 

9     « 

55.0 

86 

« 

55.3 

10     " 

51.5 

88 

(C 

70.1 

13     " 

57.0 

91 

1C 

74.3 

17     « 

69.3 

92 

(C 

65.6 

19     " 

57.0 

95 

u 

77.3 

29     " 

60.0 

97 

u 

64.0 

32     " 

55.5 

99 

(( 

62.0 

35     " 

57.5 

100 

(C 

53.0 

37     " 

63.0 

102 

u 

66.0 

38     " 

55.0 

103 

(C 

60.0 

52     " 

61.5 

105 

u 

60.0 

Specific  Gravities. 

The  weight  of  the  different  soils,  compared  with  one  another  and 
with  water,  is  given  in  the  last  column  of  the  table.     As  a  general 


52  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

fact,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  most  sandy  soils  are  the  heaviest,  and 
those  containing  the  most  geine,  the  lightest.  This  character,  how- 
ever, is  not  of  very  great  importance.  Pure  water  is  here  con- 
sidered as  the  standard,  or  as  unity  ;  and  the  numbers  in  the  table 
show  how  much  heavier  the  soils  are  than  water. 

General  Conclusions. 

Without  stopping  to  notice  some  things  of  minor  importance,  I 
will  state  at  once  the  most  important  conclusions  that  have  forced 
themselves  upon  my  mind,  from  all  my  examinations  and  analyses 
of  our  soils,  respecting  their  deficiencies  and  the  means  of  remedy- 
ing them. 

First,  the  grand  desideratum  in  our  soils  is  calcareous  matter ; 
that  is,  carbonate  of  lime. 

The  second  desideratum  is  an  additional  quantity  of  geine  ;  that 
is,  a  larger  supply  of  the  food  of  plants. 

Hence,  thirdly,  the  great  object  of  the  agricultural  chemist  should 
be,  to  discover  and  bring  to  light  new  supplies  of  both  these  sub- 
stances. 

The  discovery  of  either  of  them  would,  indeed,  be  of  no  small 
value  ;  but  it  is  a  principle  that  ought  never  to  be  lost  sight  of,  that 
an  additional  quantity  of  lime  in  the  soil,  will  commonly  require  an 
additional  quantity  of  organic  matter,  and  an  increase  of  the  latter, 
will  be  far  more  serviceable,  if  attended  by  an  increase  of  the  former. 

These  fundamental  principles  and  conclusions  I  have  kept  in  view 
continually  ;  and  will  now  proceed  to  show  with  what  success  I 
have  searched  for  new  sources  of  lime  and  of  geine.  I  shall  begin 
with  the  former  as  the  most  important,  because  the  farmer  already 
possesses  the  means  of  increasing  the  quantity  of  his  manure,  but 
not  of  obtaining  calcareous  matter  ;  for,  with  the  exception  of  Berk- 
shire county,  Massachusetts  is  very  deficient  in  limestone. 

2.  MARLS. 

No  form  of  calcareous  matter  is  so  valuable  in  agriculture  as  rich 
marl.  This  term,  however,  has  been  till  recently  very  loosely 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  53 

applied  ;  often  meaning  nothing  more  than  loose  clay,  entirely  desti- 
tute of  lime.  But  all  accurate  writers  now  understand  it  to  mean 
a  friable  mixture  of  lime  and  clay  ;  although  the  term  is  extended 
to  beds  of  calcareous  shells  that  are  somewhat  hard.  Till  within  a 
few  years,  this  substance  has  been  neglected  in  our  country  ;  bul 
its  remarkable  effects  in  some  of  our  middle  and  southern  states, 
have  awakened  the  public  attention  ;  and  it  is  now  sought  after  with 
no  small  avidity.  From  the  nature  of  our  rocks,  I  had  no  hope  of 
finding  rich  marls  in  any  other  part  of  the  state  except  the  County 
of  Berkshire.  From  that  part  of  the  state,  many  years  ago,  I  had 
seen  a  specimen  that  appeared  very  rich.  I  prepared  therefore  to  go 
in  search  of  the  bed  from  which  it  was  taken  ;  and  by  the  directions 
of  Professor  Dewey,  I  found  it  in  Pittsfield,  near  the  east  part  of  the 
village,  on  the  borders  and  in  the  bottom  of  a  pond  covering  several 
acres.  It  seemed  to  me  very  probable  that  similar  beds  must  occur 
in  other  parts  of  that  county  where  limestone  prevails.  My  search 
was  soon  rewarded  by  the  discovery  of  an  extensive  bed  in  the 
northwest  part  of  Stockbridge  on  land  of  Mr.  Buck  ;  whose  thick- 
ness was  about  two  and  a  half  feet,  and  probable  extent,  very  great. 
Also  a  second  bed  in  the  same  town,  only  four  miles  from  the  court- 
house in  Lenox.  Also  a  third  bed  in  the  north-east  part  of  Lee,  at 
the  Mills  of  Sedgwick  and  Co.,  the  thickness  of  which,  in  some 
places,  is  about  ten  feet;  though  its  extent  is  but  a  few  acres. 
Also,  several  beds  in  West  Stockbridge  in  various  parts  of  the 
town.  The  limited  time  which  I  gave  to  these  researches  did  not 
allow  me  to  make  but  slight  examinations  in  other  towns.  But  I 
have  little  doubt  that  similar  beds  of  marl  will  be  found  in  various 
other  places  in  the  county  ;  especially  in  Sheffield,  Great  Barring- 
ton,  Egremont,  Alford,  Richmond,  Lanesborough,  New  Ashford, 
and  perhaps  in  Williarnstown,  Adams,  Cheshire,  Dalton,  and  New 
Marlborough.  I  am  confirmed  in  this  opinion  from  the  fact  that 
since  I  visited  the  county  several  other  beds  have  been  discovered. 
A  second  bed  has  been  found  in  Pittsfield,  about  a  mile  south-east 
of  the  village.  Also  a  bed  in  Stockbridge,  a  little  east  of  the  village. 
For  specimens  from  both  which  places,  I  am  indebted  to  Professor 
Dewey.  A  third  bed  has  been  found  covering  several  acres  in  the 
north-west  part  of  Lee,  near  a  pond,  on  land  of  Messr?.  Lemuel 
7 


54  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 

and  Cornelius  Bassett.  The  thickness  of  the  marl,  which  commen- 
ces about  a  foot  below  the  surface,  is  in  some  places  from  four  to 
seven  feet,  and  in  others,  from  ten  to  twelve  feet  ;  and  from  200 
to  300  loads  have  been  taken  from  it  the  present  winter  by  the 
Messrs.  Bassett.  Specimens  from  all  the  beds  that  have  been 
described  will  be  found  in  the  collection  accompanying  this  Report. 
(SeeNos.  148,  149,  150,  151,  152,  153,  172,  173,  174,  175.) 
I  am  informed  also,  that  a  small  bed  exists  in  Tyringham,  and  anoth- 
er in  Stockbridge,  on  the  road  leading  to  Lenox* 

The  purest  of  these  marls  when  dry,  are  almost  as  white  as  chalk, 
and  much  lighter  than  common  soil,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  specific 
gravities  of  a  part  of  them  in  the  table  of  their  analysis  below.  When 
wet  they  are  of  a  light  gray  color,  especially  if  they  contain  much 
organic  and  earthy  matter:  indeed  the  degree  of  their  whiteness  is  no 
bad  index  of  the  quantity  of  lime  that  they  contain.     When  wet  they 
are  quite  plastic  and  adhesive:  when  dry,  they  fall  into  a  fine  powder. 
Hence  they  are  in  a  most  favorable  state  for  being  spread  upon  land. 
They  are  found  almost  exclusively  in  swampy  ground,  generally  in 
quite  wet  swamps,  and  are  always  covered  by  a  stratum,  often  sev- 
eral  feet   thick,    of  black   vegetable  matter  approaching  to   peat. 
Hence,  as  these  swamps  are  rarely  excavated,  the  marl  is  not  apt  to 
be  discovered;  or  if  found,  it  is  supposed  to  be  nothing  more  than 
white  clay  and  sand,  which,  indeed,  it  does  very  much  resemble.  In 
order  to  ascertain  the  presence  of  rnarl  in  a  swamp,  I  prepared  an 
iron  rod,  several  feet  long,  near  the  end  of  which  was  a  groove,  in 
fact  it  formed  a  sort  of  auger.     When  pressed  into  the  ground  and 
withdrawn,  it  would  always  retain  in  the  groove  some  of  the  matter 
from  the  bottom  of  the  hole,  and  in  this  way,  in  a  few  minutes,  not 
only  the  existence  of  marl  might  be  ascertained,  but  the  thickness  of 
the  bed.     Yet  after  all,  since  the  swamps  where  it  occurs  are  usual- 
ly very  wet,  and  easily  penetrated,  a  rough  pole  is  better  for  discov- 
ering marl  and   its  thickness,  than  the  iron  borer  which  I  have  de- 
scribed.    For  some  of  it  will  adhere  to  a  pole  plunged  into  it,  even 
though  that  pole  must  be  drawn  through  several  feet  of  vegetable 
mud  above  it.    And  if  the  pole  be  plunged  to  the  bottom  of  the  bed, 
the  distance  along  the  pole  covered  with  rnarl,  will  show  the  thick- 
ness of  the  bed;  except  that  the  lower  extremity  of  the  pole  will 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  55 

show  beneath  the  layer  of  marl  the  clay  or  sand  as  far  as  they  were 
penetrated ;  and  this  extent  must  be  subtracted  from  the  whole  length 
covered  with  marl.  I  have  been  thus  particular  in  describing  the 
method  of  searching  for  marls,  in  the  confidence  that  if  gentlemen 
residing  in  the  towns  above  mentioned  will  adopt  it,  many  new  beds 
will  be  brought  to  light. 

There  is  a  substance  in  the  central  and  eastern  parts  of  the  State, 
in  exactly  the  same  situation  as  the  marl  of  Berkshire,  which  resem- 
bles it  also  very  precisely  in  external  characters,  and  is  also  like 
marl  very  light;  and  yet  it  is  not  marl.  It  does  not  contain  carbo- 
nate of  lime,  but  is  composed  chiefly  of  silica.  Specimens  of  it 
will  be  found  in  the  collection  from  several  places.  (See  No.  157, 
which  is  from  Spencer;  No.  169,  from  Barre,  and  No.  170,  from 
Andover.)  It  is  easy,  notwithstanding  its  general  resemblance,  to 
distinguish  it  from  marl  by  a  few  drops  of  vinegar,  oil  of  vitriol,  aqua 
fortis,  or  any  other  acid.  If  it  be  marl,  the  acid  will  produce  in  it 
small  bubbles  occasioned  by  the  escape  of  gas — if  not  marl,  no  ef- 
fervescence will  be  produced.  And  this  is  a  universal  test,  which 
is  almost  infallible,  for  distinguishing  marl  in  all  circumstances. 

One  other  circumstance  respecting  the  Berkshire  marl,  which  will 
aid  in  distinguishing  it.  It  abounds  every  where  with  small  fresh 
water  shells,  such  as  now  occur  in  the  ponds  of  that  region,  and 
therefore  it  is  unquestionably  true  fresh  water  marl,  and  not  shell 
marl.  The  epidermis  of  the  shell  is  usually  gone.  Such  shells  are 
rarely  found  in  much  quantity  where  lime  does  not  exist,  although  I 
have  seen  them  in  mud  that  did  not  effervesce.  But  their  presence 
should  lead  us  to  search  carefully  for  calcareous  matter:  for  how  can 
these  animals  form  their  shells  without  lime? 

The  manner  in  which  these  Berkshire  marls  were  formed,  is  very 
obvious.  They  result  from  the  carbonate  of  lime  brought  into  ponds 
by  water,  and  there  at  length  deposited.  After  the  pond  is  filled 
nearly  up,  vegetables  begin  to  grow  over  the  marl,  and  thus  at 
length  a  deposite  of  peaty  matter  covers  the  marl.  The  process,  I 
doubt  not,  is  now  going  on  in  most  limestone  countries,  and  thus  a 
vast  amount  of  valuable  matter  for  agriculture  is  accumulating  in  spots 
usually  regarded  as  waste  places. 

The  Berkshire  marls,  above  described,  appear  to  me  to  be  some 


56  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.      March, 

of  the  richest  and  best  that  ever  occur.  Marls  are  usually  valued 
only  for  the  calcareous  matter  which  they  contain.  But  by  adopting 
Dr.  Dana's  method  of  analysis,  we  find  that  they  also  contain  no 
small  quantity  of  soluble  and  insoluble  geine,  derived  from  the  vegeta- 
ble matter  that  covers  them.  This  must  make  them  still  more  val- 
uable when  applied  to  the  soil.  They  contain  likewise  a  small  por- 
tion of  phosphate  of  lime,  increasing  their  value  still  more:  while 
the  granitic  sand  in  them,  the  only  part  that  is  of  no  value,  is  in  most 
cases  extremely  small.  The  following  are  the  results  of  the  analysis 
of  the  ten  specimens  in  the  Government  collection. 


1838. 


HOUSE— No.  52. 


57 


p 

11 


JL 


ogioadg 


« 


uoijdjosqy 
jo  jajB 


CO 


f-^      ci      * 


&'"**•* 


•puBg 


rf 


jo 


•§    -8 


<3      q     T*     oq 

g    S    S    8 


C3        C5        O        O 


q     w 


•ama*) 


3   § 


00 


0         r^         rH 
»O       CO       CO 


et 


CO 


I  si 

»  •«?.«- 

S  £  i    1  if 

1 1 1 S I 

V  QJ  TZS         S  r^ 

I  |  I     |  j 

I  oa     I  'fe, 


I 


*9      o 


S      o 


fO       02 
^        1 

£  & 


'I 


S    §    8    8    8 


58  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

The  amount  of  calcareous  matter  in  these  marls  is  unusually  large, 
with  the  exception  of  one  of  the  specimens  from  Pittsfield,  and 
another  from  the  east  part  of  Stockbridge.  And  since  only  a  small 
quantity  of  these  was  sent  to  me,  which  probably  might  have 
been  taken  from  the  margin  of  the  beds,  it  is  not  certain,  that  my 
analysis  exhibits  the  average  proportion  of  calcareous  matter  even  in 
those  beds.  Again,  most  marls  are  only  in  part  pulverulent,  or 
easily  crumbled  down,  and  they  require  a  long  time  after  being  mix- 
ed with  the  soil,  before  they  will  exert  a  favorable  action  upon  it. 
But  these  are  all  in  a  state  best  adapted  for  immediate  use;  and  when 
we  add  to  these  considerations  those  already  made  concerning  the 
other  ingredients  of  these  marls,  I  cannot  but  feel  that  Berkshire 
possesses  in  them  a  very  great  treasure.  I  doubt  not  but  an  inex- 
haustible supply  may  be  found  there,  not  only  for  the  county  but  for 
exportation.  And  since  the  most  numerous  beds  yet  discovered 
occur  very  near  the  point  (West  Stockbridge)  where  two  great  rail 
roads  are  soon  to  intersect,  I  cannot  doubt  that  this  marl  will  be 
among  the  articles  of  export,  at  least  a  considerable  distance.  The 
marls  of  New  Jersey  and  Virginia,  it  is  well  known,  are  already  be- 
ginning to  be  transported  a  great  distance.  And  if  any  marls  are 
rich  enough  to  be  thus  conveyed  by  land  or  water,  surely  those  of 
Berkshire  must  be  of  the  number.  It  will  doubtless  require  a  long 
time  to  satisfy  many  of  our  farmers  of  the  value  of  marl:  and  espe- 
cially as  we  may  expect  many  failures  from  applying  this  marl  in  im- 
proper quantity,  or  in  the  neglect  of  collateral  circumstances  essen- 
tial to  success.  But  unless  a  vast  amount  of  experience  in  the  use 
of  marl  in  Europe  and  in  this  country  is  to  be  set  aside  as  a  ground 
of  judgment,  these  marls  must  sooner  or  later  work  an  important  im- 
provement in  a  portion  of  the  agriculture  of  this  State. 

There  is  an  important  fact  derived  from  the  analysis  of  soils  that 
have  been  given,  relative  to  the  character  of  those  in  Berkshire 
county.  It  had  formerly  been  supposed,  that  the  soils  of  that  county 
contain  so  much  lime,  that  marls  would  be  of  no  service  there.  But 
it  appears  that  they  contain  scarcely  any  more  of  this  substance,  either 
in  the  form  of  carbonate,  sulphate,  or  phosphate,  than  the  other  soils 
of  the  state.  At  least,  the  specimens  analysed  do  not;  and  these 
were  taken  at  random  from  fields  underlaid  by  limestone  ;  so  that 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  59 

probably  they  show  about  the  average  quantity  of  lime  in  the  soils  of 
the  county ;  though  I  doubt  not  that  soils  may  be  found  there  con- 
taining more  of  this  substance.  I  think  this  may  be  a  safe  rule  to 
follow  by  the  farmers  of  that  county.  If  a  soil  effervesces  with  vin- 
egar, or  other  acids,  they  may  infer  that  marl  will  be  of  little  service. 
If  it  do  not  effervesce,  they  may  safely  apply  marl.  And  judged  of 
by  this  rule,  I  doubt  not  that  four  out  of  five  of  the  Berkshire  soils 
will  be  found  to  need  it. 

In  what  Quantity  and  Mode  shall  Marl  be  applied  ? 

I  do  not  conceive  that  it  falls  within  the  sphere  of  duties  assigned 
me  by  the  government,  to  go  into  details  respecting  the  mode  and 
the  quantity  in  which  marl  shall  be  applied,  except  so  far  as  these 
questions  can  be  answered  by  agricultural  chemistry.  It  is  well 
known  that,  in  many  instances,  lands  have  been  injured  by  over  marl- 
ing ;  and  hence  one  is  met  everywhere  with  the  questions  above  sug- 
gested. And  certain  it  is,  that  no  general  rules  have  thus  far  been 
followed  or  proposed.  Nor  can  we  get  any  general  rules  on  the 
subject  until  the  manner  in  which  lime  acts  upon  soils  and  vegetation 
is  understood.  Here,  it  must  be  confessed,  great  confusion  and  a 
variety  of  opinions  have  prevailed.  The  action  of  lime  is  undoubted- 
ly quite  complex,  and  considerably  different  on  different  soils ;  which 
renders  any  general  theory  more  difficult.  The  doctrines  respect- 
ing geine,  which  have  been  explained,  appear  to  me  to  throw  more 
light  on  this  subject  than  has  ever  before  shone  upon  it;  though  some 
points  still  remain  obscure  ;  and  as  Dr.  Dana  has  obligingly  furnished 
me  with  his  views  on  the  subject,  I  shall  present  them  without  haz- 
arding any  opinion  of  my  own ;  except  to  say,  that  his  theory  is  man- 
ifestly in  advance  of  any  that  has  hitherto  appeared. 

Theory  of  the  action  of  Lime  on  Soils,  Manure,  and  Vegetation. 

"  The  action  of  lime  is  threefold ;  each  distinct.  1 .  It  is  a  JVew- 
tralizer  :  2.  a  Decomposer  :  3.  a  Converter.  1.  I  have  already  al- 
luded to  some  acid  soils:  free  phosphoric  acid,  geic,  acetic,  and  ma- 
lic acids,  also  occasionally  exist  in  a  free  state  in  soils.  Here  lime 
acts  as  a  neutralizer.  2.  Soils  may  contain  abundant  geates  ;  parti- 


60  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 

cularly  geate  of  alumina,  the  least  of  all  demanded  by  plants.  Long 
formed  and  sun-baked,  they  are  scarcely  acted  on  by  rain  or  dew,  and 
are  almost  useless.  Here  lime,  by  decomposing  these  metallic  and 
earthy  geates,  forms  a  combination,  which,  in  its  nascent  state,  is 
readily  dissolved.  If  the  carbonate  of  lime  acts  better  than  the  hy- 
drate, it  is  because,  following  a  well  known  law,  double  decomposi- 
tion is  easier  than  single.  If  any  acid  geine  exists  in  the  soil,  or  any 
free  acids,  carbonic  acid  is  then  liberated  ;  it  acts  on  the  geate  of 
lime,  supergeates  result,  and  these  are  easily  soluble." 

"  3.  The  great  use  of  lime  is  as  a  converter ;  turning  solid  and  in- 
soluble geine,  nay,  I  go  further,  solid  vegetable  fibre,  into  soluble 
vegetable  food.  Here  is  the  great  puzzle,  the  point  where  our  phi- 
losophy seems  to  leave  us  ;  giving  us  our  choice,  to  refer  this  action 
to  one  of  the  numerous  cases  of  mysterious  c  catalytic '  change, 
with  which  we  are  becoming  every  day  more  and  more  familiar,  or 
to  explain  the  process  by  referring  the  whole  to  saponification.  I 
use  this  word  as  conveying  to  you  at  once  what  I  mean  ; — but  I  do 
not  mean  to  say  that  the  product  of  lime  and  vegetable  matter  is 
soap  ;  but  I  cannot  make  myself  more  intelligible  to  a  farmer  than  by 
saying,  this  lime  makes  compounds  of  vegetable  matter,  just  as  it 
makes  soapy  compounds  of  oil  and  fat.  The  action  of  lime  on  geine 
I  take  to  be  of  the  same  nature,  as  its  action  on  oils  and  fat.  It  is 
well  established  that  animal  and  vegetable  oils  and  fats  are  converted 
into  acids  by  the  action  of  alkalies,  earths,  oxides,  and  even  by  veg- 
etable fibre  itself.  The  general  law  is,  that  whenever  a  substance, 
capable  of  uniting  with  the  acid  of  fat  or  oil,  is  placed  in  contact  with 
fat  or  oil,  it  determines  the  production  of  acid.  Now  we  have  seen 
that  alkali  produces  a  similar  change  on  geine ;  it  developes  acid 
properties.  I  go  further,  if  alkali  has  converted  vegetable  oil  and 
geine  into  acids,  I  see  no  reason  why  a  similar  action  may  not  be  pro- 
duced by  all  those  substances  which  act  thus  on  oil.  Hence  Zimc, 
earths,  and  metallic  oxides,  convert  geine  into  acid  :  as  fast  as  this 
takes  place,  so  fast  it  becomes  soluble.  Then  too  the  long  ac- 
tion of  air  on  insoluble  geine,  rendering  it  soluble,  is  it  not  analogous 
to  the  action  of  air  on  oils.  Both  evolve  in  this  case,  vast  volumes 
of  carbonic  acid,  the  oil  becomes  gelatinous  and  soluble  in  alkali; 
does  not  a  similar  change  occur  in  geine  ?  It  is  possible  that  during 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  61 

the  action  of  lime  on  geine,  a  soluble  substance  may  be  produced, 
bearing  the  same  relation  to  this  process  that  glycerine  does  to  sapo- 
nification.  These  views  you  will  see  need  to  be  followed  out  ex- 
perimentally. If  found  tenable,  the  most  signal  benefit  will  result. 
We  place  manures  on  a  new  foundation,  on  which  great  practical  re- 
sults may  be  erected 

Practical  application  of  the   Theory  of  the  action  of  Lime. 

Taking  the  preceding  principles  as  our  guide,  we  may  lay  down  a 
few  general  principles  for  the  application  of  marls. 

1 .  Enough  ought  to  be  applied  to  neutralise  all  the  free  acids  in  a 
soil ;  which  may  be  known  by  its  ceasing  to  produce  acid  plants, 
such  as  sorrel  and  pine.     Generally,  however,  the  amount  required 
for  this  purpose  is  small. 

2.  It  will  be  serviceable  to  add  enough  to  convert  the  earthy 
geates  of  a  soil  into  geate  of  lime.     The  richer  a  soil  is,  the  greater 
we  may  conclude  is  the  quantity  of  geates  which  it  contains. 

3.  It  will  be  serviceable  to  add  enough  to  convert  all  the  insoluble 
geine  and  vegetable  fibre  in  a  soil  into  soluble  geine.     Hence  the 
richer  a  soil  is,  and  the  more  manure  is  added,  the  more  marl  will  it 
bear  with  benefit.     Indeed,  there  appears  to  be  no  danger  of  adding 
too  much  marl,  provided  a  sufficient  quantity  of  manure  be  also  add- 
ed.    Ignorance  of  this  principle,  I  apprehend,  is  the  source  of  most 
of  the  failures  that  have  occured  in  the  use  of  lirne  upon  soils.     Far- 
mers have  supposed  that  its  action  was  like  that  of  common  manure, 
viz.,  to  serve  as  direct  nourishment  to  the  plant ;  whereas  it  only 
cooks  the  food,  if  I  may  be  allowed  the  expression,  which  exists  in 
the  soil,  or  is  added  along  with  the  lime.     In  nearly  all  cases  of  over 
marling  which  I  have  read  of,  a  fresh  supply  of  manure  has  been 
found  to  be  the  remedy  ;  which  shows  the  truth  of  the  above  princi- 
ple.    Agriculturalists  have  spread  marl  alone,  or  with  very  little  ma- 
nure, upon  land  that  has  been  worn  out,  that  is,  whose  geine  has 
been  exhausted  ;  and  because  such  soils  have  not  thereby  been  re- 
cruited, they  have  inferred  that  lime  was  injurious.     Without  acids,  or 
geine,  or  geates,  or  vegetable  fibre,  to  act  upon,  much  excess  of  lime 
appears  to  operate  injuriously,  so  as  to  diminish,  instead  of  increas- 

8 


62  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

ing  the  crop.  They  have  also  expected  a  sudden  and  surprising  in- 
crease of  fertility:  whereas  in  some  cases  the  chief  benefit  seems  to 
consist  in  causing  the  land  to  produce  for  a  greater  number  of  years, 
by  preventing  the  ultimate  decomposition  and  escape  of  the  organic 
matter.  In  general,  however,  it  will  add  also  to  the  yearly  product: 
but  those  who  employ  marl  or  lime  in  any  form,  ought  to  moderate 
their  expectations,  that  they  may  not  be  disappointed,  and  to  be  sa- 
tisfied if  they  can  slowly  and  surely  improve  their  lands  as  they  most 
assuredly  can  do,  by  this  substance,  provided  they  do  not  expect  to 
accomplish  it  by  the  use  of  lime  alone. 

These  general  rules  can  afford  only  a  general  guidance  as  to  the 
quantity  of  marl  proper  to  be  used.  Both  marls  and  soils  vary  so 
much  in  their  composition,  that  probably  direct  experiments  will  al- 
ways be  necessary  to  ascertain  the  quantity  of  any  new  variety  of 
marl  that  will  be  most  serviceable.  And  should  any  of  the  agricul- 
turists of  Berkshire  county  be  disposed,  as  I  doubt  not  they  will  be, 
to  try  the  marls  above  described,  I  beg  leave  to  recommend  to  them, 
as  the  best  practical  treatise  that  has  been  published  in  this  country, 
on  this  subject,  "  An  Essay  on  Calcareous  Manures,"  by  Edward 
Ruffin,  Esq.  of  Virginia,  Shellbanks,  1835.  This  gentleman  has 
tried  a  vast  number  of  experiments  on  the  subject,  and  the  perusal  of 
his  work  is  almost  indispensable  to  any  one  who  would  successfully 
prosecute  it.  He  says,  "if  the  nature  of  the  soil,  its  condition  and 
treatment,  and  the  strength  of  the  marl  were  all  known,  it  would  be 
easy  to  direct  the  amount  of  a  suitable  dressing:  but  without  know- 
ing these  circumstances,  it  would  be  safest  to  give  250  or  300  bush- 
els to  the  acre  of  worn  acid  soils,  and  at  least  twice  as  much  to  newly 
cleared,  or  well  manured  land."  (Essay  pp.  54.)  The  marl  which 
Mr.  Ruffin  used  was  the  shell  marl;  a  large  part  of  which  has  no  ac- 
tion on  the  soil  for  several  years;  nor  does  it  contain  any  geine.  On 
both  these  accounts  probably,  the  Berkshire  marls  should  be  used  at 
first  in  a  smaller  quantity;  and  I  suspect  that  great  care  will  be  neces- 
sary to  avoid  using  too  much. 

As  to  the  best  mode  of  applying  marl,  theory  would  lead  us  in  gen- 
eral to  prefer  the  method  usually  adopted,  viz  :  to  mix  it  with  com- 
post before  spreading  it  on  the  soil.  And  I  would  here  express  a 
hope,  that  if  experiments  are  made  on  the  Berkshire  marls,  a  portion 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  63 

of  the  black  vegetable  matter  that  lies  above  them,  may  sometimes  be 
mixed  with  them,  to  see  whether  it  may  not  become  converted  into 
a  geate,  and  thus  increase  the  value  of  the  marl.  It  would,  indeed, 
be  an  important  discovery,  if  from  the  same  swamp  both  the  geine 
and  the  lime  could  be  obtained,  in  a  state  proper  to  sustain  vege- 
tation. 

In  a  few  instances  the  Berkshire  marl  has  been  tried  upon  cultiva- 
ted land.  In  the  North  part  of  Stockbridge,  several  years  ago,  Mr, 
Hadsel  Buck  spread  40  loads  from  the  bed  on  his  farm,  upon  a 
field  of  grass,  and  he  describes  the  effect  as  excellent.  A  mile  or  two 
east  of  this  spot,  Capt.  Enos  Smith,  many  years  ago,  took  a  quantity 
from  another  bed  and  spread  it  upon  grass  ground  with  very  marked 
benefit.  It  has  also  been  tried  in  Pittsfield,  by  Samuel  A.  Danforth, 
Esq.  with  encouraging  success.* 

I  have  supposed  that  the  discovery  of  earthy  substances  containing 
a  much  less  quantity  of  calcareous  matter  than  the  marl  that  has  just 
been  described,  might  be  of  great  benefit  to  agriculture  in  a  region  so 
destitute  of  lime  as  Massachusetts  in  general.  Accordingly,  I  have 
examined  our  clays  and  diluvial  deposites  with  reference  to  this  point 
and  shall  now  give  the  result  of  my  researches. 

3.  MARLY   CLAY. 

Most  of  the  clays  in  Massachusetts  contain  a  very  small  proportion 
of  carbonate  of  lime,  the  greater  part  of  which,  however,  is  convert- 
ed into  those  curious  concretions  called  claystones,  which  usually 
contain  more  than  50  per  cent  of  carbonate  of  lime.  But  it  was  on- 
ly in  the  north  part  of  Berkshire  county  that  I  found  enough  calcare- 
ous matter  in  the  clay  beds  to  be  of  any  consequence  in  agriculture. 
In  other  parts  of  the  county,  I  met  with  but  few  clay  beds  ;  though 
I  doubt  not  that  others,  besides  those  described  below,  may  be  found. 
The  following  analysis  gives  the  composition  of  one  specimen  from 


*  I  feel  under  great  obligations  to  Hon.  Judge  Walker,  and  H.  W.  Bishop,  Esq.  of 
Lenox,  for  their  attention  $jid  assistance  in  searching  for  beds  of  marl  in  that  vicinity.  Also 
to  Charles  B.  Boynton,  Esq.  of  West  Stockbridge.  To  Sedgwick  &  Co.,  and  Mr.  Lemuel 
Bassett,  I  am  indebted  for  the  specimens  from  Uheir  marl  beds  in  the  government  collection. 
I  might  name  several  other  gentlemen  in  that  county  who  have  given  me  much  assistance. 


64 


GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 


North  Adams  and  another  from  Williamstown,  a  little  southeast  from 
the  college.     Both  were  taken  from  excavations  for  making  brick. 


No. 

Locality. 

Carbonate 
of 
Lime. 

Silica 
and 
Alumina. 

Prot-Oxide 
of 
Iron. 

Carbonate 
of 
Magnesia. 

Water 
of 
Absorption. 

146 

Williamstown,     .    . 

11.7 

68.0 

18.0 

trace. 

2.3 

147 

North  Adams,      .    . 

280 

43.4 

26.9  (?) 

0.99 

0.7 

Can  there  be  a  doubt,  but  clays  so  rich  in  calcareous  matter 
as  the  above,  would  prove  very  valuable  in  cultivation  ?  especially 
when  we  recollect  that  clay  alone,  destitute  of  calcareous  matter, 
is  of  great  service  to  some  kinds  of  land.  The  bed  in  Williams- 
town,  from  which  the  specimen  analysed  was  taken,  is  composed 
of  the  common  plastic  clay  ;  but  that  in  Adams,  (a  little  east  of 
the  village,)  is  unusually  sandy  ;  although  a  part  of  the  same  bed, 
less  calcareous,  is  used  for  making  bricks.  On  some  soils  fine  sand, 
so  full  of  calcareous  matter,  must  be  excellent.  The  quantity  of 
magnesia  in  it  is  too  small  to  affect  its  value  unless  it  be  favorably. 
In  applying  it,  the  same  principles  should  be  our  guide  as  in  richer 
marls.  Other  beds  of  marly  clay  may  be  found  probably,  by  the 
use  of  vinegar  or  other  acids.  Nos.  146  and  147  present  speci- 
mens of  the  marly  clays  whose  analysis  has  been  given. 


4.     CALCAREOUS  DILUVIUM. 

In  the  red  sandstone  of  the  valley  of  Connecticut  river,  beds  of 
fetid  limestone  occasionally  occur  ;  and  besides,  in  the  towns  of 
Springfield,  West  Springfield,  and  South  Hadley,  the  red  slaty  rock 
contains  a  few  per  cent  of  carbonate  of  lime.  In  early  times  this 
rock  has  been  extensively  worn  away,  and  the  small  fragments  and 
fine  sand  or  clay,  thence  resulting,  have  been  piled  up  over  the 
greater  part  of  those  towns.  This  accumulation  of  detrital  matter, 
I  call  diluvium  ;  and  on  applying  acids  to  it,  in  very  many  places 
in  the  towns  above  named,  I  found  it  strongly  to  effervesce,  espe- 
cially when  dug  from  a  litle  depth.  The  lime  serves  as  a  cement, 
so  that  in  most  places  it  is  almost  as  hard  as  a  rock,  and  requires  a 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  65 

good  deal  of  labor  to  get  it  up.  But  exposed  to  wet,  heat,  and 
cold,  it  at  length  crumbles  down,  and  becomes  fit  to  spread  upon 
land  ;  although  the  size  of  the  pebbles  often  might  injure  grass 
fields,  unless  it  were  separated  by  means  of  a  riddle.  Since  this 
diluvium  was  deposited,  a  thick  layer,  first  of  clay,  and  above  this, 
of  sand,  has  been  brought  over  most  of  the  region,  so  that  the 
diluvium  appears  only  in  those  places  where  the  sand  and  clay  have 
been  worn  away.  But  this  occurs  so  often  that  it  is  accessible  in  a 
multitude  of  places.  I  will  mention  the  banks  of  Agawam  river, 
a  little  west,  and  also  south,  of  the  village  of  West  Springfield  ;  also 
at  the  south  end  of  the  village  of  Springfield,  in  several  places  along 
the  banks  of  the  small  river  on  which  stand  the  lower  "  Water 
Shops."  In  one  spot  on  the  north  bank,  is  an  elevation  belonging 
to  the  United  States'  Government,  which  ten  years  ago  was  nothing 
but  a  barren  sand  hill.  A  large  quantity  of  this  diluvium,  and  of 
the  disintegrating  slaty  rock  beneath  it,  was  carted  upon  this  spot, 
and  not  only  has  it  fixed  the  sand,  but  produced  a  coating  of  clover, 
grass,  and  young  locust  bushes.  I  was  there  informed,  that  near 
the  same  spot,  six  or  eight  years  ago,  some  of  this  diluvium  was  put 
upon  a  small  sandy  ploughed  field,  and  that  the  good  effects  are  still 
visible.  In  another  case  eight  years  ago,  some  of  it  was  mixed  with 
a  small  quantity  of  hog  manure,  and  the  land  still  produces  better 
crops.  The.  testimony  here,  and  also  at  Chicopee  Factory  Village, 
as  well  as  in  West  Springfield,  was,  that  wherever  this  diluvium  is 
spread,  clover  soon  makes  its  appearance  ;  a  result  almost  uniformly 
attending  the  judicious  application  of  marl. 

In  the  banks  of  Chicopee  river,  in  numerous  places  from  its 
mouth  nearly  to  Putts  Bridge,  thick  deposites  of  this  diluvium  ap- 
pear. An  enormous  bed  of  it  exists  on  the  east  bank  of  Connecti- 
cut river,  a  little  south  of  the  village  at  South  Hadley  Canal.  It 
occurs,  also,  in  abundance,  a  little  south  of  the  village  of  South  Had- 
ley. I  have  searched  in  vain  for  it  in  other  parts  of  the  valley  of 
the  Connecticut.  No  where  else  in  Massachusetts  does  the  red 
sandstone  appear  to  contain  enough  of  carbonate  of  lime  to  make  its 
detritus  sensibly  calcareous.  And  although  I  have  been  told,  on 
good  authority,  that  in  the  vicinity  of  Hartford  and  Middletown,  Ct., 
the  diluvium  does  effervesce  with  acids,  yet  after  repeated  trials  in 


66 


GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 


various  places  from  Massachusetts  to  Middletown,  I  have  not  found 
any  that  was  sensibly  calcareous.  At  present,  therefore,  I  must 
consider  this  variety  confined  to  the  three  towns  above  named  ; 
though  I  doubt  not  *that  I  might  safely  add  Longmeadow  and  Wil- 
braham.  I  have  analysed  only  three  specimens  ;  but  these  probably 
will  give  us  about  the  average  amount  of  carbonate  of  lime.  The 
specimens  analysed  will  be  found  in  the  state  collection. 


No. 

Carbonate 
of 
Lime. 

Silica 
and 
Alumina. 

Carbonate 
of 
Magnesia. 

Peroxide 
of 
Iron. 

Water 
of 
Absorption. 

Locality. 

154 

6.3 

80.0 

slight 
precip. 

12.4 

2.3 

Chicopee  Factory, 
Springfield. 

155 

4.8 

83.2 

slight 
precip. 

11.0 

1.0 

Springfield,  Lower 
Water  Shops. 

156 

8.0 

71.6 

0.4 

19.0 

1.0 

West  Springfield. 

The  amount  of  calcareous  matter  in  this  diluvium  appears  small, 
when  compared  with  that  in  the  Berkshire  marls.  And  I  presume 
it  will  not  be  found  valuable  enough  as  a  manure  to  be  transported  a 
great  distance.  But  it  ought  to  be  recollected,  that  it  needs  only 
a  small  quantity  of  lime  in  a  soil  to  work  wonders  upon  vegetation. 
And  further,  it  happens  that  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  nearly 
every  bed  of  this  substance,  is  a  great  deal  of  that  sterile  sandy  land, 
which  most  needs  a  coating  of  marly  clay,  which  is  in  fact  the  char- 
acter of  the  calcareous  diluvium.  The  large  quantity  of  peroxide  of 
iron  which  it  contains,  will  probably  also  be  useful  on  such  a  soil. 
And  where  this  substance  can  be  carted  directly  upon  such  fields, 
I  cannot  doubt,  but  they  might  be  made  permanently  fertile  without 
great  expense.  I  trust  that  some  of  the  farmers  in  the  vicinity  of 
this  diluvium,  will  at  least  be  tempted  to  try  a  few  square  rods  of 
sandy  land  in  this  manner  ;  and  then  they  can  judge  whether  its  more 
extensive  application  may  not  be  profitable.  Who  knows,  but  this 
substance,  which  has  hitherto  been  regarded  as  a  sign  of  utter  bar- 
renness, and  employed  only  for  mending  roads,  may  at  some  future 
day  spread  fertility  over  many  a  field  now  scarcely  worth  cultivation  ! 

I  ought  to  remark,  that  in  many  places,  beds  of  this  diluvium 
occur  which  contain  little  or  no  calcareous  matter,  because  the  rocks 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  67 

from  which  they  were  derived,  contain  none.  Hence  in  using  this 
substance  upon  soils,  none  ought  to  be  employed  which  does  not 
effervesce  with  vinegar,  or  other  acids.  By  omitting  this  precaution, 
-an  experiment  may  fail,  which  would  otherwise  succeed. 

5.     LIMESTONES  IN  MASSACHUSETTS. 

Such  is  the  general  deficiency  of  calcareous  matter  in  Massachu- 
setts, and  so  important  is  it  in  a  variety  of  arts  besides  agriculture, 
that  it  seems  desirable  to  ascertain  the  exact  value  of  all  the  varieties 
of  carbonate  of  lime  within  our  limits.  Besides  the  rich  and  pure 
limestones  of  Berkshire  County,  we  have  a  large  number  of  beds  of 
this  substance  more  or  less  pure,  in  various  parts  of  the  state  ;  and 
I  have  thought  it  desirable  to  analyse  specimens  from  every  bed  of 
consequence.  The  following  table  exhibits  the  results  which  I 
have  obtained.  Some  of  the  specimens  were  formerly  placed  in 
the  state  collection  ;  and  those  discovered  since  that  collection  was 
made  up,  are  forwarded  herewith. 


68 


GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


March, 


•eonppinQ  JO  JU80  J9J 


•Buiuiniy  pun  Boi[ig 


OO  r-10 


05 
cd  d  i>  o3      o* 

i—  i  ^  Oi  TO 


o?  »o  cq      oj 
rt  i>  d      «-< 


'dg 


•| 

•*' 

.'So 

.M  • 

-sf             £ 

3 

0) 

•     *  e3          •     •     '  S     ' 

•£  •  •  -fe 

•  £.8  ••-=•*• 

^  .o 


*-    ss 
.§    ®T  .^^ 

>»  a,   •     i»  L 


oTs  o 
S   O   ea   iT 


fl  ° 
of     ?=» 


Sifii^ljS 

^OAfe-as  £j 


'•^ 

fl 

e.s 


<:^ 


!4iTs3§|ii^|r§^il 

5_Ii5ASisc?a8S»905|| 

ffl!?:^ 


94?^ 
I  •!-£ 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  69 


JVew  localities  of  Limestone. 

The  localities  of  the  limestones  in  the  preceding  table,  of  which 
specimens  have  been  heretofore  deposited  in  the  State  collection, 
will  need  no  further  description.  But  several  of  the  specimens  were 
obtained  from  new  localities,  and  these  will  require  a  few  descriptive 
remarks. 

One  is  marked  from  Attleborough.  I  found  a  bed  of  it  several 
inches,  and  perhaps  several  feet  (for  it  is  partly  concealed)  in  thick- 
ness, on  land  of  Thomas  Arnold,  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town, 
near  what  is  called  the  City.  The  rock  there,  is  a  remarkable  va- 
riety of  blood  red  greywacke  conglomerate;  and  in  the  stone  walls 
I  noticed  frequently  a  mixture  of  limestone.  Hence  I  anticipate  that 
probably  beds  of  limestone  thick  enough  to  be  worked  may  be  disco- 
vered. It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  table,  that  it  is  a  quite  pure 
carbonate  of  lime;  and  being  often  intermixed  with  the  red  slate,  it 
would  form  when  polished,  a  beautiful  marble,  if  masses  large  enough 
can  be  obtained. 

Two  specimens  given  in  the  table  are  from  the  bed  of  the  Chicopee 
River,  at  the  Chicopee  Factory  Village,  in  Springfield.  The  first 
(No.  185)  occurs  abundantly  all  along  that  river  in  nodules,  from 
half  an  inch  .to  a  foot  in  diameter,  which,  when  broken,  often  show 
numerous  seams  filled  with  calcareous  spar,  and  constituting  what  in 
Europe  is  called  Septaria.  This  limestone  also  exists  along  that  riv- 
er, and  especially  in  the  bed  and  banks  of  Agawam  river,  in  West 
Springfield,  in  layers  several  inches  thick;  which  having  the  general 
reddish  appearance  of  the  rock,  is  not  suspected  to  be  limestone. 
Yet  if  I  mistake  not,  this  limestone  will  prove  a  very  valuable  mate- 
rial for  preparing  the  Roman  or  water-proof  cement.  I  strongly  sus- 
pect that  the  fetid  limestone  of  West  Springfield,  which  is  now  used, 
is  much  less  adapted  for  this  purpose  than  the  ferruginous  limestone 
under  consideration;  and  the  chemical  analysis  of  the  two  varieties 
confirms  me  in  this  opinion.  For  the  former  is  almost  a  pure  lime- 
stone, whereas  the  latter  abounds  in  alumina  and  iron;  which  are  very 
important  in  this  kind  of  mortar:  and  it  is  well  known,  that  the  sep- 
taria  of  Europe  is  employed  for  this  purpose. 

9 


70  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

The  specimen  of  fetid  limestone  (No.  191)  from  Chicopee  Fac- 
tory Village,  scarcely  differs  from  that  used  in  West  Springfield,  at 
Paine's  quarry.  It  abounds  in  the  bed  of  the  stream  at  Chicopee 
Factory :  though  in  general  it  is  not  so  highly  charged  with  lime  as  the 
specimen  analysed.  I  doubt  not  but  it  would  answer  well  in  agricul- 
ture, if  it  be  not  needed  for  water  proof  cement. 

The  specimen  No.  188,  was  sent  me  from  the  east  part  of  Nor- 
wich, where  it  is  said  to  abound.  It  is  a  variety  of  the  micaceous 
limestone,  so  common  on  the  west  side  of  Connecticut  River  in  a 
large  number  of  towns.  The  analysis  shows  a  rather  too  small  pro- 
portion of  carbonate  of  lime  to  render  it  very  profitable  to  burn  for 
common  mortar  unless  the  price  of  wood  be  quite  low.  It  contains, 
however,  rather  more  than  50  per  cent  of  carbonate  of  lime,  and  in 
England  it  is  a  rule  that  limestone  may  be  advantageously  burnt  that 
contains  more  than  half  of  calcareous  matter.  As  I  have  not  visited 
the  locality,  I  cannot  say  whether  richer  specimens  may  not  be  found 
there. 

The  specimen  from  Southampton  (No.  463  of  the  State  collec- 
tion,) is  of  the  same  description,  but  containing  still  less  of  lime;  too 
little,  indeed,  to  be  burnt  for  mortar.  That  from  Whately  (No.  459 
of  the  State  collection)  is  the  best  of  this  sort  of  limestone  that  I 
have  found  in  any  place;  and  situated  very  favorably  for  burning  and 
transportation.  Indeed,  since  my  former  report  was  finished  a  com- 
pany have  erected  a  lime  kiln  there,  which  has  been  several  times 
filled  and  burnt  with  as  encouraging  success  as  could  be  expected  in 
a  new  enterprise.  They  undertook  it  chiefly  for  agricultural  purpo- 
ses but  the  lime  is  found  to  answer  tolerably  well  for  laying  brick  and 
plastering.  It  requires,  of  course,  less  sand  than  purer  limestone; 
and  does  not  harden  so  soon  as  some  kinds  of  lime;  but  at  length  it 
becomes  unusually  solid.  When  the  value  of  this  limestone  shall 
be  more  fully  appreciated,  I  predict  that  it  will  come  into 
use,  not  merely  in  Whately,  but  also  in  many  other  towns  where 
it  occurs;  as  in  Conway,  Ashfield,  Buckland,  Charlemont,  Heath, 
Colraine,  Leyden,  Williamsburgh,  Goshen,  &c.  Indeed,  I  learn  that 
a  kiln  of  it  has  been  burnt  in  Buckland  and  used  on  land  with  good 
success. 


1838.  HOUSE— No,  52.  71 


Berkshire  Limestones. 

It  is  gratifying  to  find,  that  as  the  demand  for  the  rich  and  enduring 
marbles  of  Berkshire  increases,  new  and  extensive  quarries  are  open- 
ed; which  prove  that  it  is  doubtful  even  yet,  whether  others  still  bet- 
ter than  any  now  wrought,  may  not  yet  be  discovered.  Indeed,  when 
passing  over  that  limestone  region,  and  noticing  the  quarries,  I  have 
often  been  unable  to  see,  except  in  the  necessity  of  beginning  some- 
where, why  a  particular  spot  was  selected  for  the  excavation,  in  pre- 
ference to  a  dozen  others  equally  promising.  In  North  Adams,  on 
Hudson  Brook,  a  little  north  of  the  village,  and  near  the  remarkable 
gorge  and  natural  bridge,  a  quarry  has  been  recently  opened,  which 
furnishes  the  most  highly  chrystalline  and  the  purest  limestone  in  the 
State.  By  the  analysis  above  given,  it  appears  that  it  contains  less 
than  one  per  cent  of  foreign  matter.  It  will  of  course  form  a  very 
white  and  enduring  marble  :  though  its  highly  chrystalline  character, 
may  detract  somewhat  from  its  elegance.  The  quarry  is  inexhaust- 
ible. 

Another  new  quarry  I  noticed  two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  the 
village  of  Pittsfield.  This  also  is  inexhaustible,  and  though  the  rock 
is  not  as  white  as  in  some  other  places,  it  produces  a  substantial  and 
valuable  marble. 

But  a  visit  to  the  quarry  in  Sheffield,  two  miles  north  of  the 
village,  from  which  marble  is  now  being  got  out  for  the  Girard 
College  in  Philadelphia,  will  give  one  perhaps  the  best  idea  of  the 
value  and  extent  of  the  Berkshire  marbles;  and  at  the  same  time  of 
the  power  which  the  arts  give  to  man  over  nature.  The  rock  (No. 
192)  is  no  better  than  in  many  other  places;  perhaps  inferior  to  some 
other  varieties — but  to  see  masses  more  than  50  feet  long,  and  6  or 
8  feet  thick,  split  out  by  the  apparently  feeble  means  employed, 
makes  a  strong  impression  on  the  mind,  and  recalls  the  history  of  the 
enormous  blocks  of  stone  quarried  and  removed  by  the  pyramid 
builders  of  antiquity. 

The  celebrated  quarries  in  West  Stockbridge  still  continue  to  be 
wrought  and  in  increased  quantity.  And  when  the  two  rail-roads  that 
will  here  intersect,  and  connect  this  point  with  Boston  harbor  and 


72  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

Long  Island  Sound,  shall  be  completed,  we  may  expect  that  the  de- 
mand for  this  marble,  as  well  as  for  that  from  other  parts  of  Berk- 
shire, will  increase.  These  marbles  have  long  been  justly  consider- 
ed as  among  the  best  for  elegance  and  durability  which  our  country 
produces;  and  I  have  no  fears  that  their  high  character  will  suffer  by 
being  more  extensively  known  and  tested. 

There  is,  however,  a  considerable  difference  among  these  marbles 
in  their  durability  and  power  of  resisting  change  from  the  action  of 
the  air,  heat,  cold  and  moisture.  And  it  would  be  very  desirable  to 
be  able  from  inspection,  to  decide  which  are  the  best  in  this  respect. 
I  had  hoped  in  this  report,  to  make  some  remarks  on  this  subject: 
but  do  not  feel  yet  prepared.  I  cannot  but  fear,  however,  that  no 
tests  which  chemistry  affords,  will  ever  supersede  the  necessity  of 
actual  trial.  It  often  happens,  however,  that  where  a  new  quarry 
is  opened,  fragments  of  the  rock  lie  scattered  on  the  surface,  which 
have  for  a  long  time  been  exposed  to  atmospheric  agencies:  and  from 
the  greater  or  less  disintegration  which  these  have  suffered,  some 
conjecture  can  be  formed  respecting  the  rock  proposed  to  be  quar- 
ried.* 

•Magnesian  Limestone  in  Agriculture. 

Very  many  limestones  contain  magnesia,  and  it  seems  to  be  gen- 
erally admitted,  that  where  this  is  the  case,  a  large  quantity  spread 
upon  soil  is  injurious;  that  is,  when  the  stone  has  been  burnt  so  as  to 
drive  off  the  carbonic  acid.  In  small  quantities,  however,  it  would 
seem  that  even  calcined  magnesia  is  useful;  as  we  might  presume  it 
would  be  from  the  fact  that  most  soils  contain  it  in  small  quantity. 
Again,  it  appears  probable,  that  magnesian  limestone,  if  not  burnt, 
but  merely  reduced  to  a  fine  powder,  will  operate  favorably:  or  even 
if  we  admit  that  in  such  a  case  the  magnesia  exerts  no  action,  it  will 
not  prevent  the  salutary  action  of  the  lime  united  with  it.  But  since 

*  Through  Ihe  liberality  of  several  gentlemen  who  have  the  direction  of  the  marble  quar- 
ries in  Berkshire,  and  the  obliging  intervention  of  H.  W.  Bishop,  Esq.,  I  have  the  promise 
of  specimens  of  all  the  important  varieties  of  marble  in  the  county.  As  soon  as  they  are  re- 
ceived, they  will  be  deposited  in  the  State  Collection,  with  the  names  of  the  donors  :  and 
those  gentlemen  who  wish  to  procure  marbles,  can  make  their  selection,  without  the  trouble 
of  a  journey  to  Berkshire. 


1838.  HOUSE— No  52.  73 

magnesia  unites  with  geic  acid  and  forms  a  compound  more  soluble 
in  water  than  geate  of  lime,  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  magnesia, 
properly  applied,  may  be  of  service  in  agriculture.  It  would  be  very 
desirable  that  some  experiments  should  be  made  upon  this  subject: 
for  it  will  be  seen  by  the  analysis  of  our  limestones  that  has  been 
given,  that  many  of  them  are  magnesian.  In  the  southern  part  of 
Berkshire  county,  the  real  dolomite,  which  contains  40  per  cent  of 
magnesia,  is  common;  and  it  occurs  in  smaller  quantity  in  many  of 
the  limestones  of  that  county.  Nor  is  it  easy  by  the  eye  to  deter- 
mine whether  a  limestone  be  magnesian.  The  dolomite,  however, 
is  very  liable  to  disintegration,  and  hence  it  is  easily  reduced  to  pow- 
der; and  from  the  principles  above  suggested,  I  infer  that  this  is  the 
proper  way  to  prepare  magnesian  limestone  for  agricultural  purposes. 
Indeed,  I  would  extend  the  remark  to  all  limestones  where  fuel  is 
not  abundant.  For  the  great  object  of  burning  lime,  so  far  as  its 
application  to  soils  is  concerned,  is  to  reduce  it  to  powder.  Indeed, 
when  applied  in  the  state  of  quicklime  it  is  very  apt  to  prove  injuri- 
ous, like  magnesia,  until  it  has  absorbed  carbonic  acid  from  the 
atmosphere:  that  is,  until  it  is  brought  back  to  the  state  in  which  it 
was  before  burning.  The  inhabitants  of  Berkshire  county  will  prob- 
ably never  need  to  use  magnesian  limestone  for  agriculture,  or  any 
other  purpose,  because  they  have  enough  that  is  free  from  magnesia. 
But  much  qf  their  dolomite  might  be  more  easily  reduced  to  pow- 
der than  any  limestone  could  be  burnt.  And  if  this  suggestion 
about  pounding  and  grinding  limestone  be  of  no  importance  in  respect 
to  that  which  contains  magnesia,  it  may  be  of  consequence  in  regard 
to  that  great  quantity  of  fragments  of  pure  white  limestone,  which  are 
necessarily  accumulated  at  the  quarries,  and  which  are  now  entirely 
wasted.  How  little  additional  labor  would  it  require,  by  means  of 
water  power,  to  bring  these  into  the  state  of  powder  admirably  fitted 
for  agriculture!  and  who  can  doubt,  but  this  might  become  an  article 
of  exportation,  when  the  contemplated  rail-roads  are  completed,  and 
the  value  of  lime  upon  land  shall  be  as  much  appreciated  in  this 
country  as  it  is  in  Europe! 


74  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 


Limestones  in  the  Eastern  part  of  the  State. 

These  remarks  will  apply  with  still  greater  force  to  the  limestones 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State,  than  to  those  of  Berkshire:  first, 
because  fuel  is  much  more  scarce  in  the  vicinity  of  the  sea-board, 
and  secondly,  because,  as  appears  from  the  analysis  that  has  been 
given,  most  of  the  limestones  in  that  region  contain  magnesia,  in  such 
quantity  that  it  would  be  desirable  to  have  them  pulverised  rather 
than  burnt  for  agriculture.  The  amount  of  magnesia  in  these  lime- 
stones, is,  indeed,  greater  than  we  could  have  anticipated,  especially 
at  Bolton  and  Chelmsford;  and  I  regret  that  I  have  not  time  to  re- 
peat their  analysis.  Still  from  the  fact  that  these  limestones  have 
been  powerfully  acted  upon  by  heat  from  the  surrounding  unstratified 
rocks,  we  should  expect  magnesia  in  them.  These  limestones  also, 
from  having  been  melted,  and  containing  more  siliceous  matter,  will 
be  more  difficult  to  be  brought  into  the  state  of  powder  by  mechani- 
cal agency.  Yet  since,  on  account  of  the  high  price  of  fuel,  but 
little  lime  is  burnt  at  these  quarries,  it  certainly  deserves  considera- 
tion whether  water  power  may  not  be  profitably  applied  to  bring 
them  into  a  state  of  powder,  by  some  of  the  machines  that  are  de- 
scribed in  agricultural  works  for  this  purpose. 

The  locality  from  which  the  two  specimens  given  in  the  preceding 
table  as  from  Natick,  I  have  not  visited:  since  it  was  only  a  few 
weeks  ago  that  I  was  made  acquainted  with  the  existence  of  lime- 
stone there.  It  was  brought  to  my  knowledge  by  Chester  Adams, 
Esq.,  who  says  that  the  bed  from  which  No.  202  was  taken,  lies 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  N.  E.  of  the  Worcester  and  Boston  Rail- 
road Depot,  and  was  opened  and  some  of  it  burned,  during  the 
revolutionary  war,  but  was  subsequently  abandoned;  not  on  account 
of  its  quality,  but  from  the  high  price  of  fuel,  and  the  low  price  of 
lime  in  the  market.  He  says,  also,  that  one  gentleman  has  ground 
it  for  manure.  The  other  specimen  (No.  206)  of  a  yellowish  color 
and  compact,  was  blasted  from  the  rail-road,  not  far  from  the  local- 
ity above  named,  where  it  was  found  in  considerable  quantity.  The 
analysis  shows  that  this  variety  contains  a  larger  proportion  of  silice- 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  75 

ous  and  aluminous  matter.  I  am  indebted  for  the  specimens  in  the 
collection  to  Mr.  Daniel  Adams,  Jr.,  of  Amherst  college. 

The  three  last  specimens  whose  analysis  is  given  in  the  table  (Nos. 
203,  204,  205)  are  those  singular  concretions  occurring  in  our  beds 
of  clay  and  'usually  called  claystones.  Probably  they  will  never  be 
of  much  benefit  to  the  agriculturist,  because  it  is  doubtful  whether 
they  occur  any  where  in  sufficient  quantity  to  be  employed  upon 
land.  In  a  scientific  point  of  view,  however,  they  possess  a  good 
deal  of  interest,  and  if  abundant  enough  any  where,  they  may  be 
used  as  limestone;  for  it  appears  that  they  all  contain  more  than  50 
per  cent  of  carbonate  of  lime. 

A  good  many  other  varieties  of  limestone  might  have  been  ana- 
lysed from  Berkshire:  but  I  have  intended  to  select  the  most  im- 
portant. In  other  parts  of  the  State  I  know  of  a  few  limited  beds, 
which  are  of  so  little  consequence,  that  I  have  neglected  them.*  And 
from  what  I  have  given,  I  think  the  Government  will  be  able  to  form 
a  fair  estimate  of  the  extent  and  value  of  this  most  important  article  in 
the  State.  Had  the  vast  beds  of  it  in  Berkshire  county  been  spread 
over  the  whole  State,  or  could  they,  by  any  mode  of  conveyance, 
be  thus  diffused,  the  supply  for  every  purpose  of  architecture,  mor- 
tar, and  agriculture,  would  be  abundant.  And  I  doubt  not  but  ere 
long  this  will  happen  to  some  extent.  But  without  some  such  means, 
the  supply  in  other  parts  of  the  State  is  scanty.  I  have,  therefore, 
searched  anxiously  for  other  substances,  that  might  answer,  at  least 
to  a  good  degree,  as  a  substitute  for  lime  in  agriculture.  I  have  met 
with  some  success:  and  I  have  a  hope  that,  if  experiments  should  be 
tried  upon  some  substances  which  I  shall  now  proceed  to  point  out, 
they  will  be  found  of  importance. 

6.  GREEN  SAND. 

This  substance  constitutes  a  large  part  of  what  in  New  Jersey  goes 
by  the  name  of  marl;  and  which,  within  a  few  years  past,  has 
wrought  such  wonders  in  some  parts  of  that  State.  It  is  found  also 
in  Virginia,  and  probably  may  be  found  in  all  the  southern  States, 

*  I  did  not  happen  to  have  any  specimen  from  the  numerous  limestone  beds  in  New- 
bury. 


76  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

that  extend  to  the  Atlantic.  In  my  former  report  I  described  this 
substance  as  forming  a  bed  of  considerable  thickness  at  Gay  Head, 
forming  a  part  of  the  tertiary  formation  there.  I  also  intimated  in 
the  same  place,  that  probably  it  existed  on  the  continent  at  Dux- 
bury.  This  point  I  determined  if  possible  to  settle  during  the  last 
summer,  and  proceeded  to  Duxbury  accordingly.  And  in  the  ex- 
treme north-westerly  part  of  the  town,  or  rather  for  the  most  part 
within  the  bounds  of  Marshfield,  about  two  miles  southwest  from  the 
seat  of  Hon.  Daniel  Webster,  I  found  the  spot  described  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Kent,  as  given  in  my  former  report.  I  was  surprised  to  find 
the  region  abound  in  low  hills  of  granite,  with  occasionally  a  swamp 
or  small  stream,  being  in  fact,  as  unpromising  a  spot  for  green  sand 
as  I  had  seen  in  the  State.  -Yet  here  I  found  that  the  green  sand 
had  been  thrown  up  from  at  least  three  wells;  one  of  which  (on  widow 
Sprague's  place,)  is  in  Duxbury,  and  the  other  two  in  Marshfield, 
near  a  small  stream  called  South  River.  In  the  well  on  Mr. 
Kent's  farm,  (that  described  in  my  former  report  as  in  Duxbury,) 
the  green  sand  was  struck  at  the  depth  of  13  feet  from  the  surface. 
In  the  other,  that  on  the  farm  of  John  Chandler,  Jr.,  it  was  struck 
at  the  depth  of  21  feet;  and  the  bed  was  five  feet  thick.  This  spot 
was  nearly  20  feet  above  South  River;  and  it  occurred  to  me  that 
perhaps  on  the  margin  of  the  stream  the  sand  might  be  found,  just 
beneath  the  surface.  I  caused  an  excavation  to  be  made  there,  and 
after  passing  through  one  foot  and  a  half  of  black  mud,  and  the  same 
distance  through  yellow  sand  and  gravel  very  much  consolidated,  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  reaching  the  green  sand.  This  spot  is  perhaps 
15  or  20  feet  above  tide  water.  An  extensive  swamp  extends  from 
this  place  through  the  west  part  of  Duxbury  several  miles,  and  I 
have  reason  to  suppose  the  green  sand  may  be  found  along  its  whole 
extent.  Indeed,  I  strongly  suspect  that  it  may  be  found  abundantly 
along  the  coast  from  Marshfield  to  Plymouth,  and  not  improbably 
also  on  Cape  Cod.  The  general  aspect  of  a  large  part  of  Plymouth 
and  Barnstable  counties  is  very  much  like  the  region  where  this  sub- 
stance occurs. 

The  coloring  matter  of  this  sand  forms  but  a  small  proportion 
of  the  whole  mass  wherever  it  has  yet  been  found  ;  yet  it  imparts 
a  decided  green  tinge  to  the  whole.  The  specimens  which  I  ob- 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  77 

tained  at  Marshfield,  however,  contained  probably  much  less  than 
the  average  quantity  of  the  green  matter.  For  some  of  it  had  been 
exposed  to  the  action  of  rain,  &c,  for  several  years  ;  having  been 
formerly  thrown  out  of  a  well  ;  and  that  from  the  excavation  which 
I  made,  was  obtained  only  a  few  inches  below  the  upper  part  of 
the  bed.  The  specimen  in  the  state  collection,  (No.  158,)  bears  a 
stronger  resemblance  to  the  green  sand  found  on  the  continent  of 
Europe,  than  to  that  from  New  Jersey.  It  became  a  point  of  much 
importance  to  identify  this  with  other  green  sands.  This  could  be 
done  only  by  chemistry :  and  I  am  happy  to  be  able  to  present 
here  the  very  accurate  results  of  analysis,  which  Dr.  S.  L.  Dana, 
at  my  request  has  obtained,  whereby  the  identity  of  this  green  sand 
with  those  of  Europe,  is  completely  established. 

"The  green  sand  from  Marshfield, "  says  he,  "  was  treated  as 
follows  to  separate  the  green  particles.  Washed  in  a  large  volume 
of  water,  the  black,  brown,  and  green  particles  subside,  mixed  with 
many  quartzy  grains.  The  grains  form  about  one  half  the  whole 
bulk.  These  grains  were  then  washed  in  a  smaller  quantity  of  water, 
and  the  attrition  caused  the  water,  at  each  successive  washing,  to 
become  ochrey,  and  I  began  to  think  that  I  should  wash  nearly  all 
away.*  I  then  treated  the  grains  with  dilute  muriatic  acid — washed 
them  anew,  dried  and  passed  them  through  a  sieve.  The  whole 
looked  like -mustard  seed,  with  a  few  light  green  particles  here  and 
there  among  the  black,  green,  and  brown  particles  of  quartzy  grains. 
Pulverised,  the  whole  becomes  ochre  brown.  It  was  dried  at 
212°,  and  the  analysis  conducted  as  usual,  gave — 

Water 6.50 

Black  oxide  Iron  (ferroso-ferrique  of  Berzelius,)  64.944 

Alumina 4.372 

Silex 23.0 

Lime .•         •  °'536 

Magnesia            .         .         .         ,  .'      .      Mifyif  0.648 


100. 

*  The  specimen  which  I  sent  Dr.  Dana,  had  probably  lain  upon  the  surface  of  the  ground 
for  several  years,  and  the  iron  had  most  likely  become  somewhat  peroxidized." 

10 


78  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 

"  The  earths,  if  silicates,  will  require  4.721  silex  ;  and  on  no 
supposition  will  the  remaining  silex  and  water  convert  the  iron  into 
a  hydrated  silicate.  Hence  the  iron  is  not  combined  with  the  silex, 
but  exists  as  a  hydrated  oxide  of  iron.  The  composition  will  then 
be  ;  free  silex,  18.239  ;  hydrated  oxides  of  iron,  71.444  ;  silicates 

alumina,  4.372  lime,  .535        magnesia,   .648  _ 

of  ~i"  °f  silex,  .316  +  = 


If  we  allow  the  hydrated  iron  to  be  mixed,  a  portion  with  the  above 
silicates,  except  the  lime,  which  Berthier  and  Turner  did  not  find 
essential  in  their  analyses  of  the  coloring  matter  of  green  sand,  we 
have  a  small  portion  of  this  coloring  matter  mixed  with  a  large  por- 
tion of  hydrated  oxide  of  iron.  Only  about  5  per  cent  of  the  whole 
is  green  sand,  similar  in  its  composition  to  that  examined  by  the  late 
Professor  Turner,  as  stated  in  Dr.  Fitton's  "  Remarks  on  the  Strata 
below  the  chalk,  &c.,  in  the  south  east  of  England  ;"  p.  108. 

In  a  subsequent  letter,  Dr.  Dana  gives  the  result  of  his  analysis  of 
the  green  sand  from  Gay  Head,  of  which  No.  72  in  the  state  collec- 
tion, in  the  rooms  of  the  Boston  Natural  History  Society,  is  an 
example.  This  gives  a  better  idea  of  the  ordinary  appearance  of 
this  substance  than  the  specimen  from  Marshfield. 

u  I  have  finished  the  Vineyard  green  sand.  It  is  very  near  the 
results  of  Turner.  I  washed  the  whole  in  water,  poured  off  the 
light  part,  washed  the  remainder  repeatedly,  reserving  the  washing, 
which  let  fall  a  fine  powder  of  a  decided  green  tinge,  feeling,  when 
dry,  under  the  pestle,  like  soapstone  powder.  The  residuary  quartzy 
grains  were  rejected,  a  few  fine  green  particles  among  them.  The 
second  portion  alone,  was  taken  as  the  best  sample  of  coloring 
matter,  and  gave  — 

Water       .        V        ...         .         .  7.000 

Silica             .         .         .         .                  .  .     56.700 

Alumina             ......  13.320 

Oxide  of  Iron        .         .         „         .         .  .     20.100 

Lime         .......  1.621 

Magnesia       .......  1.176 

Manganese,  traces,  and  loss          ,         .         .  0.080 


100. 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  79 

"  The  water  and  iron  are  nearly  the  same,  the  alumina  the  mean, 
and  the  silica  about  6  per  cent  more,  than  the  analysis  of  Turner  and 
Berthier.  No  doubt  therefore  it  is  a  true  green  sand." 

The  above  analyses  do  not  give  the  actual  per  cent  of  this  green 
substance  in  the  soil  where  it  is  found,  though  it  evidently  cannot 
form  a  large  proportion.  But  this  is  not  necessary  in  order  that 
very  decidedly  good  effects  should  result  from  its  use  in  agriculture. 
The  following  extract  from  the  report  of  Professor  Henry  D.  Ro- 
gers, on  the  Geology  of  New  Jersey,  bears  on  this  point  as  well  as 
upon  the  general  value  of  green  sand  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil. 

"  When  we  behold,"  says  he,  "  a  luxuriant  harvest  gathered 
from  fields  where  the  soil  originally  was  nothing  but  sand,  and  find 
it  all  due  to  the  use  of  a  mineral  sparsely  disseminated  in  the  sandy 
beach  of  the  ocean,  we  must  look  with  exulting  admiration  upon  the 
benefits  upon  vegetation,  conferred  by  a  few  scattered  granules  of 
this  unique  and  peculiar  substance.  The  small  amount  of  green 
sand  dispersed  through  the  common  sand,  is  able,  as  we  behold,  to 
effect  immeasurable  benefits  in  spite  of  a  great  predominance  of  the 
other  material  which  we  are  taught  to  regard  as  by  itself  so  generally 
prejudicial  to  fertility.  This  ought  to  exhibit  an  encouraging  picture 
to  those  districts  not  directly  within  the  limits  of  the  marl  tract, 
where  some  of  the  strata  possess  the  green  substance  in  sensible 
proportion.  •  It  expands  most  materially  the  limits  of  the  territory 
where  marling  may  be  introduced  and  points  to  many  beds  as  fertil- 
izing, which  otherwise  would  be  deemed  wholly  inefficacious." 

In  another  place  of  his  most  valuable  Report,  Prof.  Rogers  says, 
that  u  Mr.  Woolley  manured  a  piece  of  land  in  the  proportion  of  two 
hundred  loads  of  good  stable  manure  to  the  acre,  applying  upon  an 
adjacent  tract  of  the  same  soil  his  marl  in  the  ratio  of  about  twenty 
loads  per  acre.  The  crops,  which  were  timothy  and  clover,  were 
much  the  heaviest  upon  the  section  which  had  received  the  marl,  and 
there  was  this  additional  fact  greatly  in  favor  of  the  fossil  manure  over 
the  putrescent  one,  that  the  soil  enriched  by  it  was  also  entirely  free 
of  weeds,  while  the  stable  manure  had  rendered  its  own  crop  very 
foul."  Placing  the  home  value  of  the  farm  yard  manure  at  one  hun- 
dred cents  for  each  two  horse  load,  and  that  of  the  marl  at  twenty-five 
cents  per  load,  we  have  the  expense  of  manuring  one  acre  200  dol- 


80  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS       March, 

lars,  of  marling  the  same  5  dollars."  "  Land  which  had  been  sold 
at  2J  dollars  per  acre,  in  consequence  of  the  permanent  increase  in 
its  fertility  from  the  marl,  is  now  worth  37  dollars  the  acre." 

There  is  one  fact,  however,  that  will  throw  a  doubt  over  the  prob- 
able utility  of  this  substance  in  Massachusetts.  By  taking  the  aver- 
age of  eight  very  accurate  analyses  of  the  New  Jersey  green  sand,  as 
given  by  Prof.  Rogers,  we  find  that  it  contains  10  per  cent  of  potassa. 
Mr.  Seybert's  analysis  gave  nearly  the  same  amount,  and  Mr.  A.  A. 
Hayes  informs  me  that  in  two  varieties  analysed  by  himself,  he  found 
7  per  cent  of  dry  oxide  of  potassium.  But  only  a  trace  of  potassa 
was  found  by  Dr.  Dana  in  the  Massachusetts  green  sand,  which,  in 
this  respect,  compares  with  the  English  green  sand  analysed  by 
Prof.  Turner.  Now  Prof.  H.  D.  Rogers  imputes  the  value  of  this 
substance  in  agriculture  almost  exclusively  to  the  potassa  which  it 
contains  ;  and  no  chemist  will  doubt  but  that  this  ingredient  will  exert 
a  very  salutary  influence  upon  soil.  Yet  there  are  other  ingredients 
in  the  green  sand,  which  some  will  suppose  may  increase  its  fertilizing 
power.  One  of  these  is  the  protoxide  of  iron,  whose  quantity  is 
large,  and  which  Prof.  William  B.  Rogers,  of  Virginia,  supposes 
may  be  of  service,  by  its  alkaline  character,  upon  vegetation.  This 
view  will  receive  confirmation  by  some  facts  and  reasonings  that  will 
be  presented  when  I  come  shortly  to  speak  of  the  application  of  clay 
in  agriculture.  It  is  probable,  also,  that  the  lime  and  magnesia  in 
the  Massachusetts  green  sand,  may  aid  in  a  similar  way.  That  all 
the  good  effects  of  this  substance  upon  soil  in  New  Jersey  cannot 
be  imputed  to  the  potassa,  seems  probable,  from  the  fact  that  granite 
and  gneiss  contain  quite  as  large  a  proportion  of  potassa,  and  when 
spread  in  a  powdered*  or  decomposing  state  upon  the  soil,  ought, 
therefore,  to  fertilize  as  much  as  the  green  sand  ;  especially  as  Mr. 
Hayes  informs  me  that  the  New  Jersey  green  sand  "  decomposes  in 
nitric  acid  slowly,  being  less  soluble  than  some  feldspars.''  But 
there  is  no  evidence  that  the  good  effects  of  the  granite  and  gneiss 
are  as  great  as  those  of  the  green  sand  ;  and  hence  we  must  call  in 
the  aid  of  some  other  ingredient  to  explain  its  fertilizing  power. 

I  do  not,  therefore,  despair  of  our  green  sand  in  agriculture.  It 
certainly  deserves  a  fair  trial,  when  we  consider  what  a  change  this 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  81 

substance  is  producing  in  much  of  the  poorest  land  in  New  Jersey 
and  Virginia.  It  would  be  very  easy  to  obtain  an  abundance  of  it  at 
Gay  Head,  where  it  occurs  in  great  quantities,  towards  the  north  end 
of  the  cliff.  Or  I  doubt  not  but  it  may  be  found  in  many  places 
along  the  coast  in  Barnstable  and  Plymouth  counties,  a  few  feet  be- 
neath the  surface,  in  the  lowest  places.  Very  likely  a  little  research 
may  bring  to  light  varieties  that  contain  potassa ;  and  should  this  be 
the  case,  the  change  that  might  thereby  be  produced  in  the  agricul- 
ture of  the  south-east  part  of  Massachusetts,  can  hardly  be  calculated. 


7.     CLAY  IN  AGRICULTURE. 

There  is  abundant  evidence  that  our  common  clays  are  of  great 
value  when  spread  upon  land.  I  find  that  they  have  been  used  to  a 
considerable  extent  in  the  state  ;  so  commonly,  indeed,  that  I  aban- 
doned the  idea  I  had  formed  of  giving  a  detailed  account  of  particu- 
lar instances.  So  far  as  my  inquiries  have  extended,  the  testimony 
is  decided  that  our  blue  clays  exert  a  very  favorable  effect  upon  the 
soil.  When  spread  upon  sandy  ground  we  might  expect  that  they 
would  render  it  a  better  resevoir  for  salts  and  geine.  But  thorough- 
ly to  ameliorate  our  sandy  soils  in  this  way,  requires  far  more  clay 
than  is  usually  employed,  and  I  am  perfectly  convinced  that  they 
exert  other  than  a  mechanical  influence  ;  that  in  fact,  their  effect  is 
analogous  to  that  of  lime.  I  refer  here  to  the  blue  clays  which  are 
far  the  most  common.  As  to  the  white  clay  I  have  not  learnt  its 
effect  upon  the  soil ;  but  from  the  fertility  of  some  of  the  soils  in 
Kingston,  Plymouth,  and  Barnstable,  where  white  clay  is  mixed  na- 
turally with  sand,  I  presume  this  sort  is  equally  valuable  with  the  blue. 

In  view  of  the  wide  extent  of  our  beds  of  clay,  and  the  use  that  might 
be  made  of  it  upon  land,  I  felt  desirous  to  ascertain  to  what  principle 
it  owes  its  fertilizing  powers  ;  and  therefore  subjected  a  few  specimens 
to  analysis  in  the  ordinary  way  by  solution  in  alkali.  The  following  are 
the  results.  I  omit  however  certain  white  clays,  which  I  found  des- 
titute of  iron,  and  therefore  probably  not  very  likely  to  be  of  much 
value  upon  land.  But  for  other  purposes,  of  which  I  shall  speak 
shortly,  they  are  of  a  good  deal  of  importance. 


GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 


•Analysis  in  the  Dry  way  by  Alkali. 


In     . 

0 

S 

a 

a 
at 

No. 

Locality. 

L    C    4> 

A 

s 

1 

s 

'*  § 

O   £ 

o  c 

<D 

S 

I 

h 
S     . 

tj 

£° 

w 

< 

£  ° 

oS 

A 

S 

£* 

139 

Northfield;  blue.    .    . 

10.8 

46.93 

28.1,7 

9.9 

0.1 

2.9 

140 

Sunderland;  light  blue. 

8.2 

49.00 

29.15 

13.1 

0.15 

slight 

0.4 

precip. 

142 

Kingston  ;  white.  .    . 

3.5 

71.00 

16.30 

7.3 

0.30 

do 

0.3 

1.3 

143 

Lowell;  white.       .    . 

4.0 

61.52 

20.50 

9.2 

0.56 

0.56 

0.44 

3.22 

I  tried  some  of  our  blue  clays  also,  for  geine  ;  but  in  general  they 
yielded  only  very  little,  and  perhaps  none.  For  so  strongly  do 
they  retain  water,  that  not  improbably  all  the  loss,  especially  of  solu- 
ble geine,  might  have  been  imputed  to  this  substance,  which  had  not 
been  all  expelled  by  a  heat  of  300°  F.  ;  and  then  the  peroxidation 
of  the  iron  by  ignition,  renders  this  method  of  analysis  quite  uncer- 
tain. I,  therefore,  omit  the  results  ;  only  observing,  that  the  amount 
of  sulphate  and  phosphate  of  lime  obtained,  was  about  the  same  as  in 
good  soils.  I  therefore  suspect  that  we  must  impute  most  of  the 
good  effects  of  clay  as  a  manure  to  the  large  quantity  of  iron  which 
it  contains.  On  this  point,  however,  I  will  present  some  sugges- 
tions of  Dr.  Dana,  with  which  he  has  kindly  favored  me. 

"  If  we  attempt,"  says  he,  "  to  account  for  the  action  of  clay,  in- 
dependent of  its  amending  a  sandy  soil,  we  should  bear  in  mind  that 
all  our  common  clays  contain  more  or  less  of  sulphuret  of  iron.  The 
conversion  of  this  into  the  persulphate  of  iron  is  the  natural  conse- 
quence of  exposure  :  free  sulphuric  acid  then  results,  which  acts  on 
any  lime  in  the  soil,  forming  sulphate  of  lime  :  (the  Gay  Head 
crystals  of  sulphate  of  lime  are  so  formed:)  so  that  by  spreading  clay, 
we  spread  plaster.  The  iron  in  clay  also  plays  its  part  thus.  It  is 
evident  from  ChaptaPs  experiments,  that  protoxide  of  iron  is  not 
beneficial  in  agriculture.  He  attributes  this  to  the  oxidation  of  the 
iron,  depriving  the  plant  of  its  intended  oxygen.  Nature  is  no  nig- 
gard ;  nor  is  the  reason  of  Chaptal  very  philosophical.  We  have 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  83 

seen  above  that  protoxide  of  iron  does  not  act  on  geine.  Now  by 
exposure,  the  protoxide  becomes  peroxide  ;  and  then,  I  conceive 
begins  an  action  similar  to  that  of  lime.  If  the  free  sulphuric  acid, 
produced  as  we  have  supposed,  finds  not  lime  enough,  it  will  decom- 
pose all  earthy  geates,  and  thus  a  fresh  portion  of  nutriment  is  set  at 
liberty.  Both  the  effects  of  clay — the  production  of  plaster  and  the 
formation  of  peroxide  of  iron,  are  speedily  produced  by  burning  the 
clay,  as  is  often  practised."* 

Still  more  recently,  Dr.  Dana  adds  the  following  :  "  Some  facts 
have  lately  come  under  my  eye,  and  have  recalled  others  to  mind, 
which  I  have  followed  up  experimentally  ;  all  tending  to  show,  that 
if  iron  peroxidates  itself  in  contact  with  vegetable  fibre,  the  texture 
of  the  vegetable  fibre  is  weakened,  and  geine  is  produced,  and  that  in 
a  few  hours.  It  is  during  the  passage  from  protoxide  to  peroxide 
that  the  c  saponifying '  action  takes  place,  geine  is  produced,  and 
then  combines  with  peroxide." 

In  the  few  analyses  which  I  have  given  above  of  our  clays,  I  have 
considered  all  the  iron  in  them  as  existing  in  the  state  of  protoxide  ; 
although  I  made  no  attempt  to  ascertain  whether  some  of  it  might 
not  be  a  peroxide.  Very  probably  this  may  to  some  extent  be  the 
case  :  especially  where  the  clay  has  a  yellowish  tinge.  Yet  for  the 
most  part,  I  doubt  not  it  is  a  protoxide.  A  slight  error  here  cannot 
affect  the  reasoning  above  presented. 

I  hope  our  farmers  will  make  more  numerous  and  accurate  exper- 
iments upon  the  use  of  clay  as  a  manure  ;  not  merely  upon  sandy 
land,  but  following  the  suggestions  of  Dr.  Dana,  upon  other  soils,  in 
the  expectation  that  its  action  will  be  analogous  to  that  of  lime.  Pro- 

*  The  agency  of  geine  in  the  fermentation  of  manure  is  thus  explained  by  Dr.  Dana  with 
his  usual  clearness  and  felicity. 

"By  fermenting  dung  vast  volumes  of  ammonia  are  liberated.  I  do  not  think  that  it  is 
the  action  of  gases  as  such,  which  we  want  or  which  nature  intends  as  food  of  plants  to  be 
derived  from  the  soil.  The  air  is  always  full  of  all  which  this  fermenting  manure  can  sup- 
ply in  a  gaseous  form.  The  true  actions  of  ammonia  and  carbonic  acid  resolve  into  their 
effects  on  geine.  The  ammonia  combines  as  alkali  with  that,  and  thus  it  becomes  very  so- 
luble, and  the  carbonic  acid  produces  sur-salts  of  the  earthy  geates  of  lime  and  magnesia. 
It  is  these,  liberated  the  moment  the  plant  demands  them,  which  cause  all  the  geine  of  the 
manure  to  become  alcaline  soluble  geates." 

"  How  wide  is  the  influence  of  geine  !  It  not  only  enters  by  itself  into  the  food  of  vege- 
tables but  becomes  the  very  solvent  which  nature  has  proposed  to  act  on  the  alcaline  earths 
and  oxides,  dissolving  them  as  they  are  liberated  from  decomposing  granitic  sand." 


84  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 

bably,  the  best  clay  for  this  purpose  occurs  in  the  valley  of  the  Con- 
necticut river ;  but  it  abounds  in  almost  every  part  of  the  state,  and 
perhaps  it  may  in  a  good  measure  supply  the  deficiency  of  lime.  It 
will  of  course  require  to  be  laid  on  in  much  greater  quantity  than 
marl,  and  probably,  as  in  the  case  of  marl,  too  much  may  be  used. 
How  much  ought  to  be  used  is  a  fair  subject  for  experiment. 

8.    DECOMPOSING  FELDSPATHIC  AND  MICACEOUS  ROCKS. 

Feldspar  and  mica  contain  quite  a  large  proportion  of  potassa;  a 
substance  well  known  to  be  valuable  in  agriculture.  And  these  min- 
erals constitute  a  large  proportion  of  several  of  our  most  common 
rocks,  such  as  granite,  sienite,  greenstone,  porphyry,  gneiss,  mica 
slate,  and  graywacke.  Hence  we  might  predict  that  these  rocks, 
recently  decomposed  or  reduced  to  fine  powder,  would  form  a  good 
dressing  for  land;  especially  when  we  recollect  that  the  same  rocks 
contain  a  fair  proportion  of  iron.  Now  some  varieties  of  them  are 
very  liable  to  decomposition:  and  when  partially  crumbled  down,  if 
ground  in  a  plaster  mill,  they  will  be  brought  into  a  proper  state  for 
such  a  use.  These  suggestions,  however,  are  more  the  result  of 
theory  than  of  actual  experiment:  although  such  a  use  of  powdered 
rock  has  sometimes  been  made  and  found  of  value.  Indeed,  an  ex- 
ample of  the  good  effects  of  decomposing  gneiss  upon  cultivation 
was  pointed  out  to  me  in  the  south  part  of  Athol:  and  No.  100 
presents  a  specimen  of  this  substance,  obtained  nearly  a  foot  from 
the  surface  in  a  ploughed  field,  but  not  below  the  point  to  which 
geine  had  penetrated;  as  appears  from  the  analysis.  Yet  as  this  is 
insoluble  it  could  not  affect  the  vegetation  but  slightly.  The  salts  of 
lime  also  are  not  in  large  proportion,  and  very  probably  its  good 
effects,  which  were  not  represented  as  great,  may  have  chiefly  re- 
sulted from  the  liberation  of  potassa  from  the  mica  and  feldspar. 

Now  there  is  a  great  deal  of  partially  decomposed  rock  in  the 
formations  of  this  State,  which  have  been  named  above,  and  they 
constitute  at  present  the  most  barren  spots  in  our  soils:  because  they 
are  not  reduced  fine  enough  to  form  a  good  soil;  or  because  they  are 
too  strongly  impregnated  with  stimulating  salts.  Perhaps  if  spread 
over  soils  already  containing  geine,  they  might  operate  favorably  up- 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  85 

on  crops.     At  least,  it  seems  to  me  there  is  so  much  plausibility  in 
the  theoretical  suggestions  above  made,  that  it  would  be  desirable  to 
make  this  experiment  on  a  small  scale,  since  it  is  so  easy,  even  if  it 
_  be  necessary  to  reduce  the  crumbling  rock  to  powder  in  a  mill. 

9.     HYDRATE  OF  SILICA. 

In  describing  our  marls  I  have  already  given  some  account  of  this 
peculiar  substance.  In  its  purest  state,  as  it  exists  in  No.  157  from 
Spencer,  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  it,  except  by  chemical  tests, 
from  carbonate  of  magnesia,  which  it  exceedingly  resembles  in  its 
color,  levity  and  taste.  When  mixed  with  some  vegetable  matter, 
as  in  Nos.  169,  170,  171  from  Barre,  Andover,  and  West  Bridge- 
water,  its  color  is  darker.  It  occurs  in  many  parts  of  the  State  in 
swamps,  beneath  peaty  matter,  especially  in  the  extensive  gneiss  re- 
gion of  Worcester  county.  And  as  it  has  often  been  mistaken  for 
marl,  it  has  been  frequently  applied  to  land.  I  should  not  expect 
from  its  nature  that  any  important  effect,  good  or  bad,  would  result 
from  it;  for  in  its  pure  state  it  is  little  else  than  a  hydrate  of  silica; 
that  is,  water  and  silica,  as  the  following  analysis  of  No.  157  will 
show. 

Water  -W  .<  -•  t*^  v*fl  -^  ^  ^  10.00 
Silica  t;M  ^/^  ^;  ,  v=.  -  fivx  "  ; -i  .  86.46 
Alumina  .  ,;:-  •'.".•  ka&  $  &*  $-#''  2.96 
Oxide  of  Manganese  _.  •  •  •  0.28 
Magnesia  .  ..,.".  .  .  0.30 

100.00 

I  can  hardly  conceive,  that  this  substance  in  a  pure  state  should  be 
of  much  use  in  agriculture;  and  yet  I  have  had  testimonies  of  such  a 
character  to  its  value,  that  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  it  is  a  fertilizer 
of  considerable  importance,  especially  when  obtained  from  beneath 
peat.  It  occurs  abundantly  in  the  State  of  Maine,  as  well  as  in 
most  other  parts  of  New  England;  and  Dr.  C.  T.  Jackson,  the 
State  Geologist  of  Maine,  in  a  private  letter  remarks  as  follows: 
"  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  this  substance,  so  abundant  under  our  peat 
bogs,  acts  as  a  fertilizer  to  dry  soils.  Its  action,  I  suppose,  is  par- 
11 


86  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.      March, 

tially  due  to  its  hygrornetric  properties,  and  partly  to  its  imbibing  the 
juices  of  peat.  It  does  not  contain  any  lime,  but  is  a  sort  of  siliceous 
marl,  if  I  may  so  call  it."  * 

Mr.  Alonzo  Gray,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  the  specimen  from 
Andover,  says:  "  I  have  found  this  substance  in  three  places:  in 
one  of  them  on  the  surface,  in  the  others  beneath  peat.  One  of  the 
beds  covers  a  surface  of  six  acres.  The  peat  upon  the  top  is  from 
2  to  6  feet  thick:  then  succeeds  a  vegetable  substance  mixed  with 
some  earthy  deposite,  from  one  to  two  feet,  then  the  supposed  marl, 
15  feet  in  depth.  The  substance  immediately  under  the  marl  is 
worth  about  one  half  as  much  as  manure  for  land;  and  has  been  used 
considerably  for  that  purpose.  A  small  quantity  of  the  substance 
under  this  was  used  on  land  the  last  year:  but  not  in  sufficient  quan- 
tity to  test  its  use.  The  gentleman  who  owns  the  land,  has  dug  out 
a  large  quantity  with  the  intention  another  year  of  giving  it  a  fair 
trial."  Probably  the  stratum  which  Mr.  Gray  describes  as  immedi- 
ately under  the  peat,  is  a  mixture  of  this  hydrate  of  silica  and  geine 
derived  from  the  peat;  and  hence  its  fertilizing  effects.  And  I  pre- 
sume that  wherever  this  hydrate  is  dug,  that  will  be  found  best  which 
lies  nearest  to  the  peat.  I  might  mention  other  cases  in  which  it  has 
been  successfully  applied  to  land:  but  my  principal  object  is  to  call 
the  attention  of  our  intelligent  citizens  to  the  substance.  Its  situa- 
tion in  swamps,  its  levity  when  dry,  and  its  not  effervescing  with 
acids,  will  enable  any  one  to  distinguish  it  from  analogous  substan- 
ces, f 

*  There  has  been  great  confusion  in  the  use  of  the  term  marl,  and  doubtless  it  has  often 
been  applied  to  substances  that  contained  no  carbonate  of  lime  ;  although  its  scientific  use 
is  now  limited  to  a  mixture  of  carbonate  of  lime  and  clay.  We  want  very  much  a  name 
for  several  substances,  analogous  to  that  described  above.  Why  not  call  that  friable  sub- 
stance in  which  silica  predominates,  siliceous  marl;  that  in  which  clay  predominates,  alumi- 
nous marl:  that  in  which  iron  predominates,  ferruginous  marl :  that  in  which  lime  predom- 
inates, calcareous  marl,  and  that  in  which  green  sand  predominates,  green  sand  marl  ? 

t  For  the  specimen,  No.  170,  from  Barre,  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  A.  Jenkins,  of  that  place  : 
and  for  No.  171,  from  West  Bridgewater,  to  John  C.  Howard,  Esq.,  on  whose  farm  it  was 
found. 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  87 


10.     SOURCES  OF  GEINE  OR  VEGETABLE  NUTRIMENT  IN 
MASSACHUSETTS. 

Having  now  pointed  out  the  situation  and  value,  so  far  as  known, 
of  all  the  calcareous  deposites  in  the  State  that  can  be  applied  to 
agriculture,  and  of  other  substances  whose  action  on  soils  is  some- 
what analogous  to  that  of  lime,  the  next  grand  inquiry  is,  whether 
there  are  any  sources  in  the  earth  from  which  additional  quantities  of 
geine  can  be  obtained,  or  matters  convertible  into  geine.  I  pass  by 
the  whole  list  of  common  manures,  presuming  that  they  will  be  fully 
discussed  by  the  Agricultural  Surveyor.  And  I  shall  merely  notice 
the  natural  sources  of  vegetable  nutriment  within  our  limits. 

Peat  Swamps. 

The  peat  swamps  of  New  England  have  become  a  vast  repository 
of  organic  matter,  which  is,  and  has  been,  for  ages  increasing.  In 
addition  to  the  larger  vegetables,  which,  as  they  die,  fall  and  are  en- 
veloped in  the  soft  matter  on  which  they  grew,  there  is  a  thick  mat 
of  moss,  which — especially  the  sphagnum — continues  to  flourish  at 
the  upper  part  while  the  lower  part  dies  and  decays.  In  favorable 
circumstances  as  to  wet  and  temperature,  this  mass  of  vegetable 
matter  becomes  converted  into  peat.  Only  a  small  part,  however, 
of  what  is  thus  accumulated,  becomes  peat  of  such  a  character  that 
it  answers  well  for  fuel.  Often  it  is  too  much  mixed  with  mud  to  be 
easily  burnt,  and  sometimes  the  vegetable  fibre  is  scarcely  changed. 
Yet  the  whole  of  it  is  capable  of  being  converted  into  vegetable  nu- 
triment. And  I  am  convinced,  from  all  that  I  have  seen  and  heard, 
that  Massachusetts  contains  enough  of  this  geine  and  vegetable  fibre 
in  her  swamps,  to  render  all  her  fields  fertile  for  centuries.  In  other 
words,  here  is  an  exhaustless  source  of  geine.  Some  of  it  is  already 
in  a  soluble  state;  and  therefore  the  black  matter  from  swamps,  is 
rarely  spread  upon  soils  without  producing  some  benefit.  Yet  for 
the  most  part  the  geine  is  in  such  a  state  as  to  require  some  chemi- 
cal change  before  it  will  become  soluble  nutriment,  fit  to  be  absorb- 
ed by  roots.  It  is  an  important  inquiry  then,  what  is  the  best  mode 


88  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

of  accomplishing  this  change.  This  has  been  attempted,  first,  by 
mixing  the  peaty  matter  with  good  manure  in  alternating  layers,  and 
suffering  them  to  ferment  for  a  long  time,  the  peat  being  in  much  the 
greatest  quantity.  Secondly,  by  mixing  it  in  a  similar  manner  with 
lime;  and  thirdly,  by  mixing  it  with  alkali,  or  some  compound  con- 
taining alkali.  The  principles  respecting  geine  which  have  been  ad- 
vanced in  this  Report,  will  probably  enable  us  to  decide  as  to  the 
preference  to  be  given  to  any  one  of  these  methods.  And  here  I 
have  it  in  my  power  to  give  the  opinion  of  Dr.  Dana,  whose  re- 
marks I  am  always  happy  to  substitute  for  my  own,  on  a  subject 
with  which  he  is  so  familiar,  and  which  he  has  done  so  much  to  elu- 
cidate. 

"  The  fact,"  says  he,  "  that  peat  or  turf  is  very  soluble,  in  alka- 
li, seems  not  to  be  known  among  our  farmers.  The  usual  practice 
of  mixing  lime  with  peat  or  turf  is  decidedly  the  worst  which  can  be 
followed.  The  geine  which  constitutes  a  large  part  of  peat  bogs, 
forms  with  lime  a  compound  little  soluble  in  water,  requiring  at  least 
2000  parts  of  water  to  one  of  geate  of  lime:  and  if  the  compound  has 
been  dryed  and  sun-baked,  a  still  larger  portion  of  water  is  required: 
it  becomes,  in  truth,  almost  insoluble.  With  alumina,  geine  forms  a 
compound  still  more  insoluble  than  with  lime;  and  though  the  vegeta- 
ble matter  in  combination  with  these  earthy  bases,  is  actually  absorb- 
ed by  the  roots  of  growing  plants,  still  the  geine  is  in  a  state  much 
less  favorable  than  when  in  combination  with  alkali.  Mix  ley  of  wood 
ashes  with  peat,  and  we  form  a  dark  brown  vegetable  solution:  the 
alkaline  properties  are  completely  neutralized  by  the  geine,  and  very 
often  ammonia  escapes  from  turf  when  treated  by  caustic  alkali.  When 
we  add,  that  this  geine  absorbs  and  retains  nearly  its  own  weight  of 
water  without  seeming  moist,  it  is  evident,  that  with  the  use  of  ley  or 
wood  ashes,  the  value  of  peat  as  a  manure  will  be  very  much  increas- 
ed." 

I  will  only  add,  that  in  my  opinion  it  would  be  very  "desirable  to 
have  a  series  of  experiments  performed  by  a  practical  chemist  upon 
the  different  varieties  of  our  peat,  and  especially  upon  the  best  mode 
of  converting  it  into  soluble  geine.  Since  by  the  old  methods  of 
analysis  the  different  varieties  of  peat  would  be  found  to  differ  from 
one  another  only  in  the  quantity  of  organic  matter  which  they  contain, 


1838.  HOUSE—No.  52.  89 

I  supposed  it  would  be  useless  to  analyse  them,  and  therefore  did  not 
collect  specimens  of  the  peat  and  other  vegetable  matters  that  occur 
in  our  swamps.  The  doctrines  respecting  geine  put  a  new  aspect 
upon  the  case,  and  lead  me  to  regret  that  such  a  collection  was  not 
made.  The  labor  of  doing  it  now,  however,  is  small;  and  when  it  is 
considered  what  an  immense  mass  of  organic  matter  now  lies  useless 
in  our  swamps,  while  the  fields  around  them  yield  but  a  scanty  crop, 
and  that  the  chief  reason  why  our  farmers  make  so  limited  a  use  of 
this  manure,  is,  that  they  find  it  difficult  to  convert  it  into  soluble  nu- 
triment, I  sincerely  hope  that  the  government  will  do  all  in  its  power 
to  bring  into  use  this  important  part  of  our  fossil  resources. 

Geic  Compound.   (Apothemite.) 

On  the  farm  of  Col.  Moulton,  in  the  south-west  part  of  Newbury, 
seven  miles  from  Newburyport,  occurs  a  peculiar  substance,  which, 
at  first  view,  is  pronounced  to  be  a  sort  of  peat;  but,  on  applying 
heat,  it  is  found  to  be  something  quite  different.  Its  color  is  a  deep 
brown,  hardly  to  be  distinguished,  when  in  mass,  from  black.  When 
wet,  it  is  soft  and  unctuous,  and  exhibits  some  degree  of  elasticity; 
when  sundried,  it  becomes  quite  hard,  and  receives  a  polish  from 
hard  substances.  Before  the  blow-pipe,  the  coloring  matter  disap- 
pears and  a. white  enamel  is  formed.  From  an  accurate  and  very 
satisfactory  analysis  which  Dr.  Dana  has  made  of  this  substance,  it 
appears,  so  far  as  I  know,  to  be  a  new  and  undescribed  compound. 
His  analysis  is  as  follows: 

Water,          .  .  .     13.500 

Geine, 19.625 

Silex,  .         .         .         .         .         .     36.908 

Alumina,  19.197 

Peroxide  of  Iron, 8.826 

Sulphat  of  Lime,         .         .;      .         .  1.542 

Magnesia,  .....        .402 

Specific  Gravity,  2.08     .          WM      .        *.  *   .       100. 

"  The  earths  and  oxides,"    he  remarks,    "  are  such  as  we  might 
expect  from  the  decomposition  of  trap  or  greenstone:  the  geine,  I 


90  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 

presume,  has  been  gradually  deposited  from  the  solution  of  vegetable 
matter  in  water.  It  has  precipitated  chiefly  in  combination  with 
peroxide  of  iron,  forming  pergeate  of  iron.  The  sulphate  of  lime 
is  doubtless  derived  from  vegetable  decomposition.  It  enters  largely 
into  the  composition  of  the  grasses;  and  all  our  waters,  whether  of 
ponds,  rivers,  or  springs,  contain,  so  far  as  I  have  examined,  traces 
of  sulphate  of  lime.  The  black  coloring  matter,  or  geine,  is  readily 
soluble  in  carbonated  or  caustic  alkali:  and  keeping  this  fact  in  view, 
I  think  that,  mixed  with  wood  ashes,  the  above  substance  will  form 
a  very  valuable  manure,  particularly  where  the  soil  is  light  and  sandy." 

This  geic  compound  at  the  locality  above  named,  forms  a  layer 
from  six  to  eight  inches  thick,  and  sometimes  more,  over  several 
acres  of  a  deep,  basin-shaped  cavity,  which  is  nevertheless  dry 
enough  to  plough.  It  did  not  seem  to  exert  any  fertilizing  effect 
upon  the  soil  in  that  place,  but  rather  the  reverse,  though  on  this 
point  I  made  no  inquiries.  But  probably  the  geine  is  too  strongly 
bound  to  the  iron  and  alumina  to  be  given  up  without  the  action  of 
an  alkali.  Dr.  Anthony  Jones  of  Newburyport  informs  me,  that  he 
knows  of  two  other  places  where  this  substance  is  found;  one  of 
which  is  on  the  north  side  of  Merrimack  river,  in  Amesbury.  In- 
deed, there  is  every  reason  to  believe,  that  it  will  be  found  in  many 
places  in  Essex  county,  where  sienite  prevails,  and  it  may,  therefore, 
become  an  object  of  no  small  interest  in  agriculture.  " 

The  astonishing  power  of  this  substance  to  absorb  water,  may  be 
learnt  from  the  fact,  that  while  it  appears  from  the  table  that  has  been 
given,  that  100  grains  of  no  soil  absorbed,  in  24  hours,  quite  seven 
grains,  100  grains  of  this  compound  absorbed  19.1  grains.  This 
fact  shows  us  that  the  absorbing  power  of  soils  depends  much  more 
upon  the  quantity  of  geine  which  they  contain,  than  upon  any  other 
ingredient. 

Use  of  this  Substance  as  a  Paint. 

This  geic  compound,  with  no  other  preparation  than  that  of  drying, 
has  been  employed  as  a  paint,  mixed  with  oil.  It  is  said  to  answer 
a  good  purpose;  and  at  Col.  Moulton's  I  saw  some  wood-work  cov- 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  91 

ered  with  it,  which  appeared  well.  The  color  is  so  deep  a  brown 
that  it  passes  very  well  for  black. 

It  answers,  also,  as  a  water  color,  on  paper.  By  simply  grinding 
it  in  water  and  using  it  for  a  landscape,  the  color  could  hardly  be 
distinguished  from  that  called  sepia.  Through  the  kindness  of  John 
Tappan,  Esq.,  of  Boston,  I  obtained  the  following  opinion  respect- 
ing this  substance,  of  a  distinguished  manufacturer  of  water  colors  in 
New  York,  to  whom  it  was  sent  in  a  crude  state,  with  no  information 
respecting  its  nature  or  origin.  By  simply  suspending  it  in  water,  it 
will  be  easy  to  obtain  a  much  more  delicate  variety  for  the  purpose  of 
painting;  and  as  it  will  probably  be  found  of  different  shades  of  color 
at  different  localities,  it  may  perhaps  be  an  object  to  perform  some 
experiments  of  this  sort;  for  it  may  prove  that  it  will  be  more  valu- 
able as  a  paint,  than  in  agriculture. 

"  The  sample  of  color,"  says  the  manufacturer,  "which  appears 
to  be  a  variety  of  lignite,  might  probably  be  of  some  use,  as  a  deep 
brown  color,  for  common  purposes;  but  does  not  appear  to  have 
any  extraordinary  richness  or  body.  It  is  not  sufficiently  brown,  for 
either  sepia  or  cologne  earth,  (or  vandyke  brown),  and  it  is  too 
brown  to  be  sold  for  black.  But  if  it  could  be  sold  quite  low,  it 
might  come  into  use  for  a  brown  black,  or  deep  brown." 

For  this  geic  compound,  which  appears  to  be  well  characterised, 
Dr.  Dana  has  suggested  the  appropriate  name,  Jlpothemite  :  apothe- 
me  being  the  term  applied  by  Berzelius  to  a  deposite  of  geine,  &c. 
in  vegetable  solutions. 


11.     SUBSTANCES  YIELDING  BOTH  GEINE  AND  SALTS  OF  LIME. 

I  shall  delay  for  a  short  time  upon  two  other  substances,  abundant 
in  the  state,  which  may  be  of  no  small  use  in  improving  our  soils,  by 
affording  both  geine  and  the  salts  of  lime. 

Marsh  Mud. 

Every  intelligent  farmer  probably  knows,  that  this  substance  forms 
an  excellent  manure;  although  I  apprehend  it  is  employed  far  less 
than  its  value  demands.  An  intelligent  farmer  in  Maryland  states, 


92 


GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 


that  he  "  deems  it  more  valuable  than  barn-yard  manure;"  and  that 
"it  never  failed  in  any  application  he  had  made  of  it."  He  also  pre- 
fers it  to  marl,  because  "  it  is  more  accessible,  its  effects  are  quicker 
and  much  more  can  be  done  in  the  way  of  improvement  for  the  same 
money."  At  the  same  time  he  confesses,  that  the  permanent  advan- 
tages of  marl  are  much  greater;  and  thinks  that  marl  and  marsh  mud 
will  both  be  improved  by  combination."*  This  last  remark  appears 
still  more  important,  when  we  ascertain  what  it  is  that  gives  an  agri- 
cultural value  to  this  substance.  The  fact  is,  it  sometimes  contains  a 
large  quantity  of  geine,  and  sometimes  but  little,  while  the  quantity 
of  the  salts  of  lime,  soda,  and  magnesia,  is  rather  large;  so  that  some- 
times a  mixture  of  marl  will  be  of  service,  and  sometimes  not.  The 
following  analysis  of  a  few  specimens  of  marsh  mud,  both  in  the  ordi- 
nary way  and  by  Dr.  Dana's  method,  will  show  us,  I  think,  what 
it  is  that  constitutes  its  fertilizing  power,  and  afford  some  useful  hints 
as  to  its  application. 

Analysis  in  the  dry  way  by  Jllkali. 


=  i 

*•  o  1 

No. 

Locality. 

If 

•1  s 

CS 

a 

C 

'e 

D 

o 

l§ 

o 

§ 

0 

01  .2 

gy 

|21! 

£3 

6s 

§ 

< 

o~ 

a 

s 

^35 

51  & 

135 

Newburyport,  .    . 

3.2 

3.3 

68.1 

14.7 

7.4 

2.0 

0.8 

0.2 

0.3 

136 

Medford,      .    .    . 

9.5 

12.5 

50.95 

14.9 

8.15 

1.1 

0.2 

0.6 

2.1 

•Analysis  by  Dr.  Dana's  Method. 


No. 

Locality. 

1  8 

3      <B 

*3   c 

1 

II 

S  "e 

'3  '> 

02   O 

J  ° 

£^ 

•  S  ° 

2  § 

O   02 

8.  2 
cc  O 

134 

Cambridge,  .... 

13.0 

7.4 

2.3 

04 

76.9 

1.92 

135 

Newburyport, 

1.5 

0.1 

3.0 

0.5 

95.1 

2.52 

136 

Medford,       .... 

7.5 

5.6 

2.6 

0.3 

84.0 

1.92 

Farmer's  Register,  July  1834 ;  p.  93. 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  93 

A  substance  so  rich  in  geine,  or  salts  of  lime  and  soda,  or  in  both, 
as  the  above  analyses  show,  cannot  but  prove  a  fertilizer  of  the  soil 
if  spread  upon  it.  If  a  soil  be  quite  poor,  those  varieties  should 
..probably  be  chosen  that  contain  the  most  geine  ;  and  this  can  be 
judged  of  by  their  comparative  lightness  when  dry  ;  the  lightest 
abounding  most  in  organic  matter.  But  if  the  soil  already  contain  a 
good  deal  of  inactive  vegetable  matter,  the  varieties  that  abound  most 
in  salts  will  probably  be  most  efficacious  ;  though  an  additional  quan- 
tity of  geine  can  do  no  harm,  and  may  do  much  good.  If  marsh 
mud  be  applied  at  random,  it  is  not  strange  that  varieties  of  it,  almost 
destitute  of  geine,  should  be  sometimes  put  upon  exhausted  soil,  and 
that  no  good  effects  should  follow.  Hence  the  necessity  of  some 
fixed  principles  to  guide  the  farmer.  And  since  Massachusetts  con- 
tains so  much  sea  board,  and  so  much  land  near  the  coast  that  may 
be  benefited  by  this  substance,  a  correct  mode  of  applying  it  is  of 
great  importance. 

Muck  Sand. 

As  this  substance  has  never  been  proposed  for  use  in  agriculture, 
it  will  be  necessary  to  state  the  circumstances  that  have  led  me  to 
bring  it  forward  in  this  place. 

Nine  or  ten  years  ago,  Luther  Root,  Esq.,  Cashier  of  Amherst 
Bank,  had  occasion  to  dig  a  well  in  his  garden  in  Sunderland,  where 
he  then  resided.  This  was  only  eighty  rods  from  Connecticut  river, 
and  the  land  there  is  alluvial  to  the  depth  of  more  than  twenty  feet. 
Near  the  bottom  'the  excavation  passed  through  a  thick  stratum  of 
what  is  usually  called  quicksand,  and  which  on  being  thrown  out 
emitted  a  strong  odor  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen.  It  not  being  conve- 
nient to  remove  all  this  earth,  it  was  spread  upon  a  considerable  part 
of  the  garden,  which  was  a  good  soil  and  always  well  manured.  He 
was  warned  against  doing  this,  lest  it  should  ruin  his  garden,  and  he 
thinks  the  quantity  spread  was  not  greater  than  a  good  coat  of  ma- 
nure. The  part  thus  covered  was  mostly  planted  with  watermelons 
and  other  vines  :  and,  instead  of  injuring  the  spot,  it  produced  so 
great  an  increase  of  fertility  as  to  astonish  himself  and  his  neighbors, 
and  to  lead  them  to  search  the  banks  of  the  river  and  low  places  for 
12 


94  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.         March, 

a  similar  substance.  The  good  effects  continued  for  two  years,  and 
afterwards  declined,  so  that  in  a  year  or  two  the  land  thus  treated 
was  not  better  than  the  other  parts  of  the  garden. 

Seventeen  or  eighteen  years  ago,  Mr.  Riifus  Rice  had  occasion  to 
dig  a  well  on  his  farm  in  South  Deerfield  ;  and  after  passing  through 
six  feet  from  the  surface,  he  struck  upon  what  he  describes  as  quick- 
sand, though  dry  at  the  time  he  dug  it,  and  probably  mixed  with  clay. 
He  represents  the  substance  dug  out  when  wet  to  be  almost  as  much 
disposed  to  flow  as  water,  and  that  it  was  very  difficult  so  to  wall 
up  a  well  with  stones  that  this  sand  would  not  pass  through  and  fill  it. 
He  describes  it  also  as  giving  out  a  strong  odor,  and  a  small  quantity 
which  he  showed  me,  that  had  lain  for  fifteen  years,  still  retained  that 
odor,  and  appeared  to  be  identical  with  the  muck  sands  to  be  described 
in  this  Report.  Wishing  to  remove  the  sand  thus  thrown  from  a  well 
twenty-two  feet  deep,  and  having  understood  thai  the  effect  of  a 
change  of  soil  was  good,  he  carted  five  loads,  after  it  had  lain  expos- 
ed for  a  year,  upon  a  piece  of  ploughing,  spreading  it  about  as  thick 
as  a  good  coat  of  manure.  This  was  in  the  autumn  ;  and  the  next 
spring  the  whole  piece  was  planted  with  Indian  corn,  after  having 
been  manured  in  the  hill.  But  that  part  of  the  field,  which  had  re- 
ceived the  muck  sand,  soon  began  to  show  a  much  more  thrifty 
growth  than  the  other,  and  yielded  a  greater  crop.  From  that  time 
to  the  present,  corn,  oats  and  clover,  have  been  the  rotation  of  crops 
every  three  years,  except  that  two  crops  of  rye  have  been  raised  up- 
on it,  and  whenever  it  was  manured,  all  parts  were  spread  over  alike. 
And  even  up  to  the  present  time,  the  part  on  which  the  muck  sand 
was  spread,  seventeen  years  ago,  continues  to  show  decidedly  more 
fertility  than  the  other  part.  I  saw  this  difference  last  autumn  in  the 
crop  of  Indian  corn  then  growing,  and  it  was  considerable. 

A  few  rods  from  the  spot  where  the  well  above  noticed  was  dug, 
another  had  been  excavated  three  years  previously  to  the  depth  of 
eighty  feet,  and  a  large  quantity  of  the  muck  sand,  with  perhaps 
some  clay,  lay  upon  the  surface  ;  although  the  well  itself  had  been 
filled  by  the  caving  of  the  sides.  Mr.  Rice  carried  from  five  to  ten 
loads  of  this  upon  a  spot  of  dry  mowing,  which  had  almost  ceased  to 
produce  grass,  It  was  spread  about  as  thick  as  a  good  coat  of  ma- 
nure, but  with  no  mixture  of  manure,  some  time  in  June.  On  the 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  95 

first  crop  of  grass  that  year  it  produced  no  effect,  and  there  was  not 
enough  grass  to  be  worth  gathering.  But  the  second  crop  was  a 
very  heavy  one,  and  consisted  mainly  of  clover,  although  the  clover 
^had  previously  disappeared.  The  next  year  the  first  crop  was 
equally  good,  the  second  not  so  large,  though  better  than  middling. 
In  subsequent  years  the  good  effects  became  less  and  less  obvious: 
but  they  were  visible  at  least  ten  years. 

The  facts  communicated  to  me  by  Mr.  Root  (those  respecting 
Mr.  Rice's  experiments  I  did  not  learn  till  somewhat  later)  seemed 
to  furnish  a  clue  that  might  lead  to  results  of  considerable  importance. 

But  the  substance  that  produced  such  effects  upon  the  soil  had  all 
disappeared  from  the  surface,  and  could  not  be  obtained  from  the 
wells.  It  occurred  to  me,  however,  that  the  same  stratum  must  ex- 
tend from  Sunderland  village  to  Connecticut  river  ;  and  that  its  out- 
crop might  be  found  there,  as  the  bank  is  more  than  twenty  feet  high. 
A  gentleman  acquainted  with  the  substance  accompanied  me  thither; 
and  we  soon  found  a  stratum  of  sand  several  feet  thick,  which  he 
recognized  at  once  as  identical  with  that  dug  from  the  well.  Having 
seen  it  in  one  place,  I  was  able  to  trace  it  in  others.  I  examined 
the  banks  of  Connecticut  river  across  the  whole  state  ;  and  wherever 
they  are  alluvial,  I  almost  uniformly  found  this  stratum  from  ten  to 
twenty  feet  below  the  general  surface.  I  traced  it,  also,  in  many 
places,  in  the  banks  of  the  Housatonic  and  Merrimack,  the  Deerfield 
and  Wesifield  rivers,  and  indeed  on  almost  every  stream  large  enough 
to  form  much  alluvial  deposition.  On  the  small  streams  its  depth 
beneath  the  surface  and  its  thickness  are  less.  But  its  leading  char- 
acters are  alike,  and  somewhat  peculiar  :  and  as  they  made  it  easy 
for  me  to  find  the  stratum,  I  think  I  can  point  them  out  so  that  oth- 
ers will  be  able  to  recognise  it. 

The  specimens  of  this  substance  in  the  State  Collection  (Nos. 
126,  127,  128,  129,  130,  131,  132,  133)  convey  but  an  imperfect 
idea  of  its  appearance  in  its  native  situation,  where  it  is  almost  always 
very  wet,  and  generally  exhibits  a  slightly  greenish  tinge,  though 
perhaps  this  results  from  its  mechanical  rather  than  its  chemical  char- 
acters. In  the  banks  of  our  streams,  this  stratum  is  the  first  one  from 
the  surface  that  arrests  the  water  in  its  descent  into  the  earth  ;  and 
hence  water  is  seen  oozing  out  from  it  in  almost  every  place.  It 


96  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 

frequently  lies  immediately  above  a  stratum  of  gravel.  It  is  also 
remarkable  for  its  yielding  nature  when  wet ;  it  being  easy  to  run  a 
pole  several  feet  into  it,  and  unless  covered  with  turf,  a  man  in  walk- 
ing over  it  will  sink  into  it  several  inches.  The  cause  of  its  arrest- 
ing water  in  its  descent,  and  also  of  the  extreme  mobility  of  its  parti- 
cles among  themselves,  is  probably  chiefly  dependent  upon  the 
fineness  of  its  texture,  and  the  form  of  its  particles,  rather  than  upon 
its  chemical  composition.  When  an  attempt  is  made  to  dig  into  it 
with  a  spade,  or  trowel,  it  conducts  very  much  like  soft  suet.  And 
yet  its  composition  is  decidedly  sandy:  and  therefore  I  call  it  muck 
sand,  although  it  generally  goes  by  the  name  of  quick  sand. 

Another  important  character  is,  that  when  fresh  dug,  this  substance 
almost  invariably  gives  out  the  odor  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen:  that  is, 
an  odor  considerably  resembling  that  of  a  gun  barrel  which  has  been 
fired  repeatedly  with  gunpowder.  Very  frequently,  also,  there  is 
seen  oozing  from  it  a  reddish  matter  of  the  color  of  iron  rust,  and 
which  indeed  is  the  oxide  of  iron,  proceeding  probably  from  the 
decomposition  of  the  sulphuret  of  iron,  whereby  the  sulphuretted  hy- 
drogen is  produced.  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  the  odor  of  the 
sulphuretted  hydrogen  is  so  connected  with  its  fertilizing  properties, 
that  I  doubt  whether  any  sand,  not  giving  it  out,  will  prove  effica- 
cious. 

It  should  also  be  mentioned,,  that  vegetable  matter,  even  some- 
times in  the  state  of  vegetable  fibre,  is  generally  present  in  the  muck 
sand.  Indeed,  it  seems  to  be  the  only  stratum,  which  I  have  found 
deep  in  the  earth,  that  contains  much  organic  matter.  In  short,  it 
does  not  differ,  so  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  from  the  rich  deposites  of 
mud  and  vegetable  matter,  that  are  now  often  formed  by  our  streams 
at  high  water,  except  that  it  has  been  for  a  long  period  in  the  earth, 
and  thus  many  important  chemical  changes  have  taken  place  in  it, 
and  it  has  also  been  the  recipient  of  all  the  soluble  matter,  which  has 
percolated  from  the  strata  above,  but  which  this  stratum  has  arrested. 

These  remarks  will  I  trust  not  only  enable  others  to  identify  this 
substance,  but  will  form  also  the  groundwork  of  a  theory  that  will 
explain  its  fertilizing  power.  This,  however,  will  be  better  under- 
stood when  I  shall  have  presented  analyses  of  several  specimens  by 
both  the  methods  described  in  this  report. 


1838. 


HOUSE— No.  52. 


97 


Analysis  by  Jllkali. 


No. 

Locality. 

Water  of  j 
Absorption.  1 

Organic 
Matter. 

02 

a 

a 

§ 

js 

Oxide  of 
Iron. 

| 
13 

S 

1 

111 
111 

126 

Sunderland, 

3.8 

3.5 

64.01 

15.03 

12.04 

0.10 

1.16 

0.10 

0.26 

130 

Sheffield, 

2.0 

2.0 

70.68 

11.61 

10.10 

0.80 

1.63 

0.15 

1.03 

132 

Amherst, 

4.0 

5.0 

64.34 

13.5 

12.00 

0.06 

0.90 

0.20 

133 

Leominster, 

1.5 

0.5 

73.31 

14.25 

8.14 

100 

0.10 

1.2 

I  have  been  favored,  also,  with  the  following  analysis  of  the  muck 
sand  (No.  129)  from  Hadley,  by  Dr.  Dana. — 100  grs.  after  ignition 
to  drive  off  the  water  and  organic  matters,  yielded 

Silica,  .  .  .  '*;;•'•  .  .  .  71.008 
Alumina,  .  .  ''V'  .  :'  >5>i^"'  V'  16.706 
Oxide  of  iron,  V  r^<!«mn»>S^  ^  6.202 
Lime,  with  some  sulphate  of  lime,  v-',*  '  3.336 
Magnesia,  . ','"'  '!'".  '  *''(''  .  '^.  1 7.  1.552 
Traces  of  manganese  and  potassa,  and  loss,  1.196 


100. 


•Analysis  by  Dr.  Dana's  Method. 


No. 

Locality. 

Soluble  Geine. 

j| 

"o 

Is 

Bft 

Phosphate  of  1 
i  Lime. 

Granitic  Sand.  1 

[Specific  Grav-  1 

ity. 

GainoflOOgrs.  I 
in  24  h'rs  aft.or  1 
heatingtoSOO0.  1 

IPropor'al  Ab- 
sorbing  Power.  II 

126 

Sunderland,  Ct  River, 

2.1 

3.0 

1.0 

0.9 

93.0 

2.57 

2.1 

42 

127 

Bradford,  Merrimack  Riv. 

0.8 

3.1 

0.6 

0.7 

94.8 

2.48 

1.8 

36 

128 

W.  Springfield,  Ct.  Riv. 

4.1 

0.2 

3.0 

92.2 

2.68 

1.5 

129 

Hadley,  Fort  River, 

5  2.9 
J  309 

3.2 

14 
2.25 

0.3 

922 

2.60 

1.9 

38 

130 

Sheffield,  Housatonic  Riv. 

1.0 

2.1 

1.9 

0.2 

94.8 

2.63 

1.4 

28 

131 

Northfield,  Ct.  River, 

1.9 

1.8 

1.2 

0.2 

94.9 

2.46 

10 

20 

132 

Amherst,  Fort  River, 

6.3 

0.0 

1.2 

0.7 

91.8 

2.39 

133 

Leominster, 

0.4 

2.3 

1.0 

0.5 

95.8 

2.68 

0.4 

8 

98 


GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 


It  will  be  seen  that  in  the  case  of  the  muck  sand  from  Hadley,  a 
double  analysis  is  given.  The  latter  was  furnished  by  Dr.  Dana, 
who  did  not  obtain  the  insoluble  geine,  nor  separate  the  phosphate  of 
lime  from  the  sulphate.  I  give  both  results,  partly  because  it  is  the 
only  example  which  1  am  able  to  present,  in  which  my  analysis  by 
this  new  method  can  be  compared  with  that  of  another  individual. 

The  specific  gravities  given  above  show  that  in  general  the  density 
of  these  muck  sands  is  greater  than  most  of  our  soils,  as  we  might 
expect  from  the  fact  that  they  are  very  sandy.  The  two  last  columns 
show  that  their  power  of  absorbing  water  is  small ;  which  result  also 
we  should  expect  for  the  same  reason.  I  regret  that  my  experi- 
ments upon  the  power  of  these  muck  sands  to  retain  water,  are  as 
imperfect  as  upon  the  soils,  since  we  should  rather  expect  that  this 
might  be  considerable  and  of  some  service  in  agriculture.  So  far  as 
the  trials  which  I  have  made  enable  me  to  judge,  they  favor  this  pre- 
sumption, though  they  do  not  indicate  any  remarkable  retaining  pow- 
er. Thus,  on  the  20th  of  January,  200  grs.  of  the  following  soils 
and  muck  sands,  with  100  grs.  of  water  added,  were  exposed  three 
hours  to  the  sun,  from  1 1  to  2  o'clock,  clear  and  wind  westerly,  and 
they  lost  as  follows  : 


No. 

Loss. 

No. 

Loss. 

3 

Alluvial  Soil, 

69.7  grs. 

114 

Sienite  Soil, 

54.4  grs. 

4 

do 

69.4 

115 

do 

66.8 

5 

do 

70.0 

116 

do 

57.6 

6 

do 

68.7 

118 

do 

610 

7 

do 

716 

119 

do 

636 

15 

Tertiary  Argil. 

6f>7 

1Q  I 

Porphyry  Soil, 

66.3 

16 

do 

69.2 

123 

Greenstone  Soil, 

64.4 

18 

do          sandy, 

788 

127 

Muck  Sand, 

50.0 

20 

do             do 

67.7 

j  1*9 

do 

501 

23 

Sandstone  Soil, 

68.0 

130 

do 

51.4 

24 

do 

566 

131 

do 

56.2 

26 

do 

70.1 

132 

do 

47.1 

27 

Graywacke  Soil, 

70.1 

134 

Marsh  Mud, 

51.0 

30 

do 

56.3 

135 

do 

52.9 

31 

do 

558 

136 

do 

51.9 

From  the  water  in  which  some  of  the  muck  sand  from  Sunderland 
had  been  boiled,  pure  ammonia,  as  well  as  carbonate  of  ammonia  and 
phosphate  of  soda,  threw  down  slight  precipitates.  Hence  I  infer 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  99 

the  existence  of  some  soluble  salt  of  magnesia,  probably  the  sulphate. 
But  in  no  other  specimen  did  any  such  result  follow  the  application 
of  these  tests.  The  proper  tests,  however,  detected  in  them  all 
sulphate  of  lime  about  in  the  same  quantity  as  in  most  of  the  soils. 
Its  amount  may  be  seen  in  the  table  of  analysis  of  the  muck  sands  by 
alkali. 

The  preceding  analyses  appear  to  me  to  show  that  there  is  no  sin- 
gle ingredient  in  these  rnuck  sands  that  will  explain  their  fertilizing 
power.  But  there  are  several  circumstances  that  probably  conspire 
to  such  a  result.  Most  of  them  contain  a  considerable  amount  of 
soluble  geine,  as  well  as  of  the  sulphate  and  phosphate  of  lime  ;  and 
I  ought  to  remark  in  respect  to  some  of  them,  that  they  were  obtain- 
ed in  places  which  are  exposed  to  the  action  of  water  a  considerable 
part  of  the  time,  which  may  have  abstracted  a  portion  of  the  salts 
and  the  geine  ;  as  I  took  them  from  a  few  inches  below  the  surface. 
This  was  the  case  with  the  specimens  from  Northfield,  Bradford, 
and  Sheffield.  The  others  were  obtained  at  a  greater  depth  from 
the  surface.  That,  for  instance,  from  Amherst,  which  yielded  so 
large  a  proportion  of  soluble  geine,  was  taken  from  an  excavation 
just  made  several  feet  deep.  This  circumstance  should  be  kept  in 
mind,  if  any  of  our  farmers  should  think  it  best  to  make  any  trial  of 
this  substance.  I  hope  they  will  take  care  to  dig  to  a  considerable 
depth  to  obtain  it,  although  I  should  presume  that  two  or  three  feet 
would  be  sufficient  where  the  muck  sand  shows  itself  on  the  banks 
of  streams  ;  and  yet  the  constant  percolation  of  water  from  this  stra- 
tum may  carry  off  some  of  the  fertilizing  matters  from  I  know  not 
how  great  a  horizontal  distance. 

In  addition  to  the  above  circumstances,  it  ought  to  be  borne  in 
mind  that  this  rnuck  sand,  on  account  of  the  minute  division  of  its 
parts,  is  in  the  best  possible  state  for  enabling  the  roots  of  plants  to 
act  upon  and  absorb  nutriment.  Nor  should  it  be  forgotten,  that  in 
all  cases  when  fresh  dug,  these  sands  give  off  the  odor  of  sulphuret- 
ted hydrogen  ;  which  probably  proceeds  from  the  decomposition  of 
sulphuret  of  iron,  or  some  alkaline  sulphuret,  by  the  free  sulphuric 
acid  formed  in  the  manner  described  by  Dr.  Dana,  in  giving  a  theory 
of  the  action  of  clays  in  agriculture.  Very  probably  this  sulphuret 
of  iron  may  act  an  important  part  in  fertilization  by  these  muck  sands ; 


100  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

and  hence  it  is  desirable  not  to  use  any,  certainly  in  early  experi- 
ments, which  does  not  emit  the  odor  above  named. 

These  considerations,  with  the  facts  that  have  been  detailed,  ex- 
cite a  hope  that  this  muck  sand  may  prove  an  article  of  no  small 
value  as  a  manure.  The  specimen  from  Leominister,  however, 
given  in  the  preceding  table,  should  be  noticed  as  deficient  in  some 
points,  which,  according  to  the  preceding  views,  are  important.  It 
has  little  if  any  soluble  geine,  and  the  salts  are  in  small  proportion. 
That  specimen  was  received  from  Mr.  Sevvall  Richardson,  who 
says  that  it  was  taken  seven  feet  below  the  surface,  and  that  it  has 
been  dug  three  years,  and  exposed  to  atmospheric  agencies.  It 
may,  therefore,  have  lost  some  of  its  fertilizing  properties.  Yet  he 
says,  u  for  the  last  four  years  I  have  applied  it  as  manure  on  dry 
land,  and  find  that  it  produces  a  good  effect.  One  quart,  applied  to 
a  hill  of  potatoes  before  hoeing,  seems  to  prevent  the  effects  of 
drought  on  the  driest  of  our  plains,  and  makes  them  yield  potatoes 
equal  to  the  best  of  our  land."  He  says,  also,  that  u  it  has  as 
much  effect  on  the  skin,  when  first  dug  and  dryed,  by  handling  it, 
as  lime,  or  ashes."  It  was  in  consequence  of  these  statements  that 
I  subjected  this  specimen  to  analysis  ;  although  it  bears  but  little 
resemblance  to  the  muck  sands  in  general. 

The  wide  diffusion  of  this  muck  sand  in  the  state,  makes  me  more 
desirous  of  having  it  tested.  I  have  already  remarked  that  it  may 
be  found  on  the  banks  of  all  our  streams,  which  have  deposited  al- 
luvium. And  I  doubt  not  it  may  be  found  in  most  swamps  ;  espe- 
cially those  that  are  underlaid  by  clay.  From  the  banks  of  rivers 
it  might  be  carted  at  a  season  of  the  year  when  the  water  is  low, 
since  the  stratum  usually  lies  but  little  above  low  water  mark  :  and 
from  other  places  excavated  on  purpose,  it  might  be  obtained  at  al- 
most any  season.  Should  only  a  small  part  of  the  fertilizing  effect 
result  from  its  use  generally,  which  the  facts  detailed  would  lead  us 
to  expect,  I  should  still  feel  amply  repaid  for  my  labor  devoted  to 
the  subject. 

Beneath  the  vegetable  matter  in  most  of  our  swarnps,  there  is  a 
fine  sand,  quite  analagous  in  appearance  to  the  muck  sand  that  has 
been  described  ;  and  from  some  facts  that  have  come  to  my  knowl- 
edge, I  suspect  that  this  possesses,  in  part,  at  least,  the  fertilizing 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  V  /A{,?  I 

character  of  the  muck  sand.  It  probably  contains  some  soluble 
geine  and  salts  of  lime,  and  sometimes  gives  off  the  odor  of  sul- 
phuretted hydrogen  ;  though  perhaps  this  may  result  from  decayed 
vegetables,  as  these  sometimes  emit  an  odor  resembling  that  gas. 
I  apprehend  that  this  sand  may  be  found  often  to  possess  enough  of 
a  fertilizing  character  to  be  profitably  employed  upon  land. 

Concluding  Remarks  upon  Soils. 

Though  I  have  dwelt  so  long  upon  the  analysis  and  improvement 
of  our  soils,  it  will  be  seen  that  I  have  touched  only  a  few  of  its 
more  important  features,  and  that  even  these  are  but  imperfectly 
considered.  Many  minor  points,  of  no  small  importance,  however, 
have  been  wholly  passed  over,  or  only  alluded  to  ;  and  sensible 
that  I  cannot  do  them  justice  at  present,  I  shall  not  attempt  to  dis- 
cuss them.  My  great  object  has  been,  after  ascertaining  the  greatest 
deficiencies  in  our  soils,  to  satisfy  the  Government  that  we  have  the 
means  of  remedying  them  and  of  making  great  improvements  in 
them,  by  the  aid  of  chemistry.  If  I  may  hope  that  I  have  accom- 
plished this  object,  then  I  take  the  liberty  to  inquire,  whether  it  be 
not  important  enough,  and  whether  there  is  not  enough  still  left  to 
accomplish  respecting  it,  to  make  the  appointment  of  a  State  Chemist 
desirable  ?  .We  ought  to  have  still  further  experiments  made  on 
the  subject  of  geine,  and  the  salts,  which  the  soils  contain :  also  ac- 
curate analyses  of  the  crops  grown  on  soils  with  different  manures  ; 
and  investigations  as  to  the  manner  in  which  calcareous  matter  acts 
upon  vegetable  and  animal  substances:  as  also  experiments  directed 
by  an  able  and  experienced  chemist,  on  the  best  mode  of  bringing 
into  use  the  vast  deposites  of  geine  and  vegetable  fibre  which  our 
state  contains.  And  since  we  have  chemists  of  this  character  among 
us,  why  should  not  the  services  of  at  least  one  of  them  be  secured 
for  this  object  ?  The  geological  surveyor  might  often  collect  sub- 
stances for  analysis  ;  but  if  obliged  to  go  as  thoroughly  into  the 
chemistry  of  the  subject  as  is  necessary  to  valuable  results,  he  can- 
not within  any  reasonable  time  accomplish  the  more  appropriate 
objects  of  his  appointment.  In  at  least  one  state  of  the  Union, 
where  geological  surveys  are  in  progress,  one  gentleman  is  appoint- 
13 


GEOLO'GY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

ed,  whose  time  and  attention  are  exclusively  devoted  to  the  chemical 
examination  of  the  soils,  ores,  &c.,  collected.  And  I  would  fondly 
believe,  that  Massachusetts  will  not  rest  satisfied,  till  this  work  is 
done  at  least  as  thoroughly  as  in  any  other  state.  I  believe  there  is 
abundant  labor  for  an  experienced  chemist  upon  our  soils  alone  : 
but  many  other  substances,  found  in  the  state,  ought  to  be  analysed, 
that  their  real  value  may  be  known. 

I  do  not  doubt  but  the  Government  and  every  intelligent  reflect- 
ing citizen  will  feel  the  vast  importance  of  energetic  efforts  to  im- 
prove our  soils  so  that  they  may  sustain  a  larger  population.  This 
is  the  only  way  to  check  the  tide  of  emigration  that  sets  so  strongly 
to  the  great  West.  For  if  our  sons  can  be  made  to  see  the  soil  of 
New  England  doubling  its  increase,  as  I  verily  believe  they  might  in 
one  or  two  decades  of  years,  the  rich  alluvia  and  prairies  of  the 
West  will  not  be  able  to  draw  them  away  from  the  graves  of  their 
fathers  ;  especially  if  they  learn  that  those  fertile  regions  will  at 
length  become  exhausted  of  their  geine  and  salts,  and  then  will 
probably  require  as  much  labor  to  cultivate  as  the  soils  of  Mas- 
sachusetts. 

Some,  however,  may  contend,  that  it  is  more  important,  to  trans- 
fer the  New  England  character  to  the  unsettled  West,  than  to  multi- 
ply our  numbers  and  wealth  at  home.  But  the  history  of  the  world 
leads  us  to  fear,  that  New  England  character  cannot  long  be  pre- 
served except  upon  New  England  soil  ;  or  upon  a  soil  that  requires 
equal  industry  for  its  cultivation.  Place  New  England  men  where  the 
earth  yields  spontaneously,  and  the  locks  of  their  strength  will  soon 
be  shorn.  If  we  look  over  the  map  of  the  world,  and  the  history 
of  the  past,  we  shall  find  as  a  general  fact,  that  the  brightest  exhibi- 
tions of  human  character  have  been  made,  in  regions  where  nature 
has  done  less,  but  art  and  industry  more.  If,  therefore,  we  wish  to 
increase  the  moral  power  of  New  England,  it  must  be  done  by  im- 
proving her  soil,  and  increasing  her  resources  and  her  population. 
If  these  views  are  correct,  which  I  acknowledge  do  not  fall  in  with 
the  prevailing  notions,  they  furnish  a  new  stimulus  for  vigorous  effort 
in  the  improvement  of  our  soils. 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  103 


12.     FOSSIL  FUEL. 

Next  in  importance  to  the  means  of  improving  our  soils,  I  have 
regarded  the  discovery  of  fossil  fuel ;  that  is,  fuel  dug  out  of  the 
earth,  and  resulting  from  vegetables  which  have  been  buried  there 
in  former  times  ;  and,  therefore,  I  have  examined  with  no  small 
care,  every  spot  where  such  discovery  seemed  likely  to  be  made. 
When  I  prepared  my  former  Report,  I  confess  my  expectations 
were  not  sanguine  that  Massachusetts  contained  within  her  bosom 
any  extensive  deposites  of  coal ;  though  aware  that  not  a  little  peat 
might  be  found.  But  since  that  time,  the  enterprise  and  industry  of 
some  of  our  citizens  have  put  quite  a  different  aspect  upon  the  sub- 
ject, so  far  as  coal  is  concerned  ;  and  I  have  made  such  extensive 
inquiries  respecting  peat,  as  leads  me  to  suppose  its  quantity  in  the 
state  has  been  much  underrated.  I  will  now  proceed  to  give  such 
details  as  will  enable  the  Government  to  form  an  opinion  on  the 
subject. 

Anthracite  Coal. 

In  my  former  Report,  I  stated  that,  u  we  might'  reasonably  look 
for  anthracite  coal  in  any  part  of  the  greywacke  formations  exhibited 
on  the  Geological  Map."  This  extends  in  interrupted  patches 
across  the  whole  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  state,  and  at  its  southern 
extremity,  embraces  the  coal  beds  of  Cumberland,  Rhode  Island. 
I  also  marked  on  the  Map  beds  of  this  anthracite  in  the  east  part  of 
Cumberland,  Rhode  Island,  and  in  Middleborough,  West  Bridgewa- 
ter,  and  Wrentham,  Massachusetts.  In  the  autumn  of  1835,  since 
my  Report  was  published,  another  bed  was  discovered  in  Mansfield, 
which  led  to  the  formation  of  "  the  Massachusetts  Mining  Com- 
pany," "the  Mansfield  Mining  Company,"  and  "the  Mansfield 
Coal  Company,"  all  of  which  have  exhibited  great  and  commenda- 
ble perseverance  to  make  explorations  in  spite  of  the  general  stagna- 
tion of  business  and  enterprise  ;  and  their  efforts  have  been  crowned 
with  far  greater  success  than  I  could  have  anticipated.  I  shall 
describe  the  principal  excavations  that  have  been  made  by  these 


104  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 

companies  in  that  region,  with  the  results  to  the  beginning  of  last 
October. 

The  Massachusetts  Mining  Company  commenced  their  explora- 
tions in  1835,  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Alfred  Harden,  where  a  shaft 
sunk  only  25  feet,  struck  a  bed  of  coal  5  feet  wide,  and  another 
only  1  foot  thick,  separated  from  the  first  by  10  inches  of  rock. 
The  shaft  has  since  been  carried  to  the  depth  of  64  feet  ;  and  from 
the  bottom  of  it,  in  opposite  directions  and  following  the  bed  of 
coal,  drifts  have  been  extended  150  feet,  and  rail-ways  laid  for  bring- 
ing the  coal  to  the  bottom  of  the  pit,  from  whence  it  was,  until 
recently,  raised  to  the  surface  by  a  windlass  and  hand  power  ;  but 
steam  power  is  now  used,  which  greatly  increases  the  daily  amount 
of  coal  raised.  About  1,500  tons  had  already  been  raised  from  this 
mine,  when  I  visited  it  in  October  ;  and  a  drift  had  been  carried 
from  the  bottom  of  the  shaft,  in  a  south-east  direction,  several  feet 
across  the  rock  strata,  in  search  of  new  beds.  Only  one  about  a 
foot  thick  had  been  reached. 

The  explorations  at  this  spot  have  been  carried  forward  under  the 
direction  of  Gen.  Samuel  Chandler,  of  Lexington,  who  seemed  to 
me  to  have  managed  the  whole  concern  with  remarkably  good  judg- 
ment, and  to  have  brought  the  principles  of  science  to  bear  upon 
practice  with  singular  success.  In  his  printed  Report  to  the  Com- 
pany, he  says,  that  u  although  the  region  has  been  but  very  imper- 
fectly explored,  even  where  the  strongest  external  evidences  appear, 
yet  four  separate  veins  are  known  to  occur  on  land  leased  to  the 
Massachusetts  Mining  Company,  situated  at  no  great  distance  apart, 
and  parallel  in  their  line  of  bearing:  two  of  which  have  been  opened 
sufficiently  to  ascertain  their  thickness  to  be  over  five  feet,"  &c. 

The  clerk  of  the  company,  William  B.  Dorr,  Esq.,  makes  the 
following  statement  in  respect  to  these  explorations,  which  must  be 
regarded  as  very  encouraging.  "  The  Massachusetts  Mining  Com- 
pany," says  he,  "  at  an  expense  of  less  than  $15,000,  with  all  the 
discouragements  of  a  novel  undertaking,  the  almost  entire  want  of 
practical  knowledge  of  the  subject,  and  the  cost  of  experiments 
which  experience  would  have  rendered  unnecessary,  have  been  able 
to  raise  from  1 200  to  1 500  tons  of  coal,  worth  from  $5000  to  $6000, 
at  the  lowest  estimate  both  of  the  quantity  mined  and  of  its  true 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  105 

value."  "The  directors  have  unhesitating  confidence  in  the  even- 
tual success  of  the  mining  operations  at  Mansfield  ;  and  nothing  but 
the  universal  prostration  of  enterprise  and  business,  has  prevented 
their  pursuing  these  operations  on  a  scale  commensurate  with  their 
confidence  and  the  public  importance  of  the  subject." 

There  are  two  methods  of  ascertaining  the  value  of  this  coal  for 
fuel:  both  of  which  it  is  desirable  to  be  applied.  One  is  chemical 
analysis  ;  by  which  we  learn  how  much  carbon,  or  combustible  mat- 
ter, it  contains,  and  how  much  earthy  residuum  that  is  useless:  and 
the  other  is  experience  in  using  it.  In  18S5  Dr.  C.  T.  Jackson 
analysed  two  specimens  taken  from  the  depth  of  about  25  feet,  and 
the  results  were  as  follows: 

1st  specimen.  2d  specimen. 

Carbon,  98     Carbon,  96 

Peroxide  of  iron  and  alumina,     2     Peroxide  of  iron  and  alumina,     4 

100  100 

I  have  made  but  two  trials  with  a  specimen  obtained  at  the  mine 
last  autumn,  and  the  result  is  as  follows  : 

1st  specimen.  2d  specimen. 

Carbon,                                94             Water,  5.6 

Residuum,  •                            6             Carbon,  88.8 

Residuum,  5.6 
100 

Specific  Gravity,  1.70.  100. 

The  amount  of  carbon  in  these  specimens  is  a  little  greater  than 
Prof.  Vanuxem  obtained  from  two  specimens  of  anthracite  from 
Rhode  Island.  In  one  he  found  an  earthy  residue  of  5.07  per  cent, 
and  in  the  other  of  15.60  per  cent.  He  also  found  about  the  same 
per  cent  of  water  as  I  obtained  in  the  second  trial ;  this  item  having 
been  neglected  in  the  first  trial,  as  well  as  by  Dr.  Jackson,  as  our 
chief  object  was  to  ascertain  the  amount  of  earthy  residuum.  The 
amount  of  carbon  in  the  Mansfield  coal  is  nearly  equal  to  that  in 
"  the  purest  anthracite  of  Lehigh,"  in  which  Prof.  Vanuxem  found 
3.3  per  cent  of  earthy  residue,  and  the  mean  of  the  four  analyses  given 
above  is  only  4.4  per  cent  of  residuum.  The  composition,  then,  indi- 


106  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 

cates  the  very  best  kind  of  anthracite.  Its  specific  gravity,  howev- 
er, is  1.70  ;  while  a  specimen  of  Peach  Mountain,  in  Pennsylvania, 
was  only  1.49  ;  and  hence,  perhaps,  we  might  expect  some  more 
difficulty  in  producing  perfect  combustion  in  the  former  than  in  the 
latter. 

As  to  the  testimony  which  experience  gives  to  the  value  of  this 
coal,  so  far  as  that  testimony  is  within  my  reach,  it  corresponds  to 
what  chemical  analysis  would  indicate.  It  ought  to  be  recollected, 
however,  that  beds  of  coal  near  the  surface  of  the  earth,  are  always 
more  or  less  affected  by  the  action  of  water,  which  insinuates  itself 
into  their  crevices.  I  have  understood,  that  from  this  cause  the  coals 
of  Pennsylvania  have  improved  since  the  beds  were  first  opened.  It 
ought  also  to  be  recollected,  that  coal  from  a  new  locality  may  be 
expected  to  require  a  little  different  mode  of  management  to  make  it 
burn  well ;  and  also  that  when  men  do  not  find  such  new  article  to 
conduct  precisely  like  that  which  they  have  been  accustomed  to  use, 
they  are  apt  to  infer  at  once  that  it  must  be  of  an  inferior  quality;  and 
they  are  not  willing  to  be  at  the  trouble  of  making  experiments  to  get 
over  the  difficulty. 

u  The  quality  of  this  coal,"  says  Gen.  Chandler,  "  has  given  very 
good  satisfaction  generally  to  the  purchasers,  notwithstanding  it  was 
taken  by  many  under  unfavorable  circumstances." — "Many  compe- 
tent judges  who  have  had  opportunities  of  testing  its  qualities  thor- 
oughly, represent  it  equal,  in  their  opinion,  to  the  Pennsylvania  An- 
thacite  in  all  its  essential  properties." — "The  fine  coal  has  been 
taken  in  considerable  quantities  and  used  as  fuel  for  steam  power, 
and  proves  to  be  a  very  superior  article  for  that  purpose,  &c." 

Foster  Bryant,  Esq.,  of  Mansfield,  who  appears  to  be  very  famil- 
iarly acquainted  with  all  the  mining  operations  in  that  region,  states, 
that  as  the  beds  have  been  explored  to  greater  depth  the  quality  of 
the  coal  has  improved,  which  he  imputes  to  the  action  of  the  water 
upon  the  upper  portion  of  the  beds.  This  often  prevents  the  thor- 
ough combustion  of  the  coal,  although  it  ignites  without  difficulty  and 
burns  well  for  four  or  five  hours.  He  adds,  that  "  the  coal  of  Mans- 
field, even  in  its  present  impure  state,  is  capable  of  being  converted 
to  all  economical  purposes,  and  contaminated  as  it  now  is  by  adven- 
titious substances,  it  is  a  better,  far  better  article,  than  the  coals  from 


1838  HOUSE—No.  52.  107 

the  Little  Schuylkill  were  in  1831,  and  altogether  better  than  the 
first  year's  produce  from  the  Lackavvana  mines.'' 

uThe  quality  of  the  coal,'*  says  Mr.  Dorr,  u  has  afforded  entire 
satisfaction  to  those  who  have  taken  the  pains  to  give  it  a  tho- 
rough trial,  and  to  investigate  its  distinctive  properties.  Several  of 
the  directors  use  it  exclusively  for  fuel,  in  open  grates,  cylinder 
stoves,  and  cooking  ranges.  It  is  found  to  ignite  and  burn  best  with 
a  very  moderate  draught ;  and  broken  to  about  the  size  of  a  butter- 
nut. Uniformity  in  size  is  of  course  desirable.  Under  favorable 
circumstances,  little  difference  is  found  in  comparison  with  the  best 
Pennsylvania  anthracite,  whether  in  relation  to  facility  of  ignition  or 
intensity  and  durability  of  heat." 

"  The  community  generally,  from  feeling  less  interest  in  its  suc- 
cess than  the  proprietors,  will  naturally  take  less  pains  in  its  use  ; 
and  like  every  new  discovery,  its  general  introduction  will  doubtless 
be  gradual." 

The  following  testimony  was  given  by  the  captain  and  passengers 
of  the  steamboat  President,  where  the  Mansfield  coal  was  used,  on 
a  trip  from  Providence  to  New  York : 

NEW  YORK,  Dec.  25,  1836. 

DEAR  SIR  : — I  received  the  sample  of  the  Mansfield  coal  yester- 
day, which  you  sent  to  me  for  trial  on  board  the  President.  I  used 
it  on  the  passage  from  Providence  to  New  York,  in  the  various 
kind  of  stoves  we  have  on  board,  and  was  much  pleased  to  find  that 
it  burnt  very  freely,  making  quite  as  hot  a  fire  as  any  Anthracite  coal 
hitherto  used  on  board  this  boat.  I  consider  it  superior  in  quality  to 
many  kinds  of  Anthracite  coal  now  in  use  in  this  city. 

I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  friend, 

ELIHU  J.  BUNKER. 
To  MR.  FOSTER  BRYANT. 

STEAMBOAT  PRESIDENT,  Dec.  24,  1836. 

The  undersigned,  passengers  on  board  the  President,  from  Provi- 
dence to  New  York,  with  pleasure  bear  testimony  to  the  excellent 


108  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 

quality  of  the  Mansfield  coal,  with  which  the  cabin  fires  were  suppli- 
ed during  the  trip.  So  far  as  they  are  able  to  judge,  the  article  from 
Mansfield,  used  in  the  cabin,  is  fully  equal  to  the  Pennsylvania  coal 
in  all  essential  properties. 

Richard  Rankin,  Frankfort ;  Thomas  Lovett,  Boston ;  John  S. 
Barker,  Lt.  R.  S.,  Newport ;  James  S.  Peters,  Cortlandt,  N.  Y.  ; 
Benjamin  Morse,  New  Fairfield,  Conn.  ;  George  H.  Riddell,  Nan- 
tucket ;  Thomas  B.  Griffith,  N.  Y. ;  John  Clark,  Jr.,  Boston; 
Charles  Howes,  Boston ;  Thomas  Ayling,  Newtown ;  Daniel  H. 
Johnson,  Salem,  Mass.  ;  E.  Nottebohen,  Boston  ;  John  P.  Daven- 
port, do.  ;  J.  B.  Hastings,  do,  ;  Joseph  Pond,  Philadelphia ;  Levi 
Pratt,  Fitchburg  ;  George  H.  Owman,  Providence,  R.  I. ;  Henry 
B.  Lloyd,  Boston  ;  John  Whipple,  Providence ;  Thomas  Hopkin- 
son,  Lowell,  Mass. ;  J.  A.  Etheridge,  Dedham  ;  G.  M.  Peck, 
Freeboro',  Mass.  ;  H.  Sumner,  Foreboro',  Mass. ;  G.  L.  Brown, 
Providence  ;  William  Power,  Bristol ;  Charles  N.  Cogswell,  S.  Ber- 
wick, Me. ;  George  W.  Lathrop,  West  Bridgewater,  Mass. ;  Ed- 
ward Ritler,  N.  Y.  ;  B.  G.  Snow,  do.  ;  E.  P.  Robinson,  do.  ;  J. 
H.  Tuck,  Nantucket ;  Benjamin  Morrill,  Boscowen.  N.  H. ;  Wil- 
liam S.  Eastman,  Baltimore ;  Thomas  B.  Parks,  Berwick,  Me. ; 
Joseph  Matthewson,  Providence,  R.  I. 

I  have  shown  that  the  coal  of  Mansfield,  and  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I., 
is  embraced  in  the  same  general  and  continuous  rock  formation. 
Hence  we  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  coal  from  every 
part  of  this  great  field  will  be  essentially  alike.  Now  the  Portsmouth 
coal  was  formerly  used  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  very  fair  experi- 
ments were  made  by  Professor  Silliman,  (which  I  have  detailed  in 
my  former  report,)  to  ascertain  the  value  of  this  coal  for  common 
fuel,  as  compared  with  that  from  Pennsylvania ;  and  he  comes  to  the 
conclusion  that  there  is  no  important  difference  between  them. 
There  can  hardly  be  a  doubt,  but  the  same  conclusion  may  be  safely 
applied  to  the  Mansfield  and  Pennsylvania  coal. 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  109 


Exploration  of  the  Mansfield  Coal  Company,  and  the  Mansfield 
Mining  Company. 

The  Mansfield  Coal  Company  have  simply  sunk  a  shaft  64  feet 
near  the  centre  of  Mansfield,  but  have  met  with  only  a  little  coal: 
another  shaft  was  sunk,  half  a  mile  north-west  of  the  Harden  farm, 
by  the  Mansfield  Mining  Company,  to  the  depth  of  84  feet,  in  which 
a  bed  only  a  few  inches  thick  was  crossed.  A  drift  was  then  com- 
menced at  the  bottom  of  this  shaft,  horizontally,  towards  the  south-east 
so  as  to  cross  the  strata.  This  had  not  been  pushed  far,  when  a  bed  of 
coal  was  struck,  which,  at  the  place,  was  about  10  feet  thick;  though 
on  exploring  it  laterally  for  a  few  feet,  it  was  found  to  be  somewhat 
irregular  ;  as  indeed  most  of  the  beds  are  in  the  region,  and  as  they 
are  in  fact  in  all  coal  fields.  In  crossing  this  vein,  25  tons  of  coal 
were  thrown  out,  some  of  which  is  of  a  very  superior  quality  ;  as 
may  be  seen  in  the  collection  (No.  207.)  For  specimens  I  am 
indebted  to  Mr.  Joseph  D.  Clapp,  the  agent,  who  informs  me  that 
this  vein  has  received  the  name  of  the  "  Wading  Vein."  When  I 
visited  it  in  October  it  had  recently  been  discovered,  and  I  have  not 
since  learned  whether  it  has  been  pursued  farther.  I  subjected  100 
grains  of  it  to  analysis  with  the  following  result. 

Carbon,      :  ;'••> •'"'   W  ^;-l-     \  *-     'v'-  >  v'f'          96 
Alumina,  Iron,  &c.,  ;;ni  M.^       ,:    t}i$Q      4 

100 

Specific  Gravity,  fl-'V '•''  .  •  'i.^!  1-79 
We  have  seen,  from  the  testimony  of  Gen.  Chandler,  that  four  dis- 
tinct beds  of  coal  are  already  known  upon  land  leased  to  the  Massa- 
chusetts Mining  Company.  Mr.  Foster  Bryant  states,  that  "  seven 
distinct  veins  of  coal  have  been  struck  in  Mansfield,  and  the  strongest 
indications  are  found  of  five  more,  one  of  which,  from  its  great 
breadth  is  probably  a  continuation  of  the  great  vein  at  Cumberland." 
This  is  a  great  number  to  be  discovered  so  early.  For  it  ought  to  be 
stated  that  the  whole  of  that  region  is  covered  by  a  coaling  of  dilu- 
vial earth  nearly  20  feet  thick;  so  that  it  is  only  when  in  digging  a 
well,  or  other  excavation,  that  much  chance  exists  for  discovering 
14 


110  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.      March, 

the  coal:  for  I  could  not  learn  that  any  streams  in  the  vicinity  have 
cut  through  this  diluvium.  The  fact  that  with  such  peculiar  difficul- 
ties in  the  way,  so  large  a  number  of  beds  have  been  discovered  in 
the  space  of  a  little  more  than  two  years,  is  to  my  mind  a  very 
strong  proof  that  the  region  of  Mansfield  is  likely  to  prove  a  very 
rich  and  valuable  coal  field.  By  looking  at  the  Geological  Map  of 
the  State  it  will  be  seen  that  the  greywacke  formation  embraces  a 
large  part  of  Bristol  and  part  of  Plymouth  counties,  as  well  as  a  part 
of  Rhode  Island.  All  this  space  which  Mr.  Bryant  estimates  at 
more  than  400  square  miles,  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  coal  field;  and 
indeed,  on  the  northern  side,  which  is  nearly  30  miles  long,  coal 
has  been  found  in  various  places  through  the  whole  distance.  A 
very  large  part  of  this  extensive  region  is  covered  by  a  thick  coat  of 
diluvium,  as  in  Mansfield;  and  where  rocks  appear  in  place  above 
the  surface,  they  are  those  varieties  of  the  greywacke  which  are 
least  likely  to  contain  coal,  being  coarse  and  hard.  The  coal  usually 
occurs  in  fine  dark  colored  slate,  alternating  with  gray  sandstone: 
and  these  are  very  liable  to  be  disintegrated  and  worn  away.  Hence, 
the  best  prospect  of  finding  coal  is  where  the  rock  is  most  worn 
away,  and  the  soil  deepest.  Such  is  the  rock  every  where  found  in 
Mansfield,  and  since  an  almost  perfectly  level  plain  exists  there,  over 
many  square  miles,  I  infer  that  the  rock  is  very  similar  over  its 
whole  extent;  and  hence  that  probably  we  may  hope  for  more  suc- 
cess in  explorations  there,  than  in  almost  any  other  part  of  the  coal 
region  above  described. 

It  is  a  fortunate  circumstance  that  the  great  Rail-road  from  Boston 
to  Providence  passes  across  the  centre  of  the  plain  of  Mansfield, 
and  within  80  rods  of  the  Harden  farm,  where  the  most  extensive 
exploration  has  been  made.  From  this  spot  it  is  15  miles  to  Prov- 
idence, 11  to  Taunton,  and  26  to  Boston.  A  more  favorable  situ- 
ation could  hardly  have  been  chosen  for  the  location  of  this  coal,  had 
the  proprietors  themselves  selected  the  site. 

Coal  rarely  if  ever  occurs  in  veins,  properly  so  called:  that  is, 
occupying  fissures  which  run  across  the  layers  of  the  rock.  But  it  is 
uniformly  found  lying  between  the  layers  of  the  rock;  that  is,  in  what 
are  called  beds.  If  the  layers  of  the  rocks  are  horizontal,  the  beds 
will  be  horizontal.  But  generally,  and  especially  in  the  gray wacke 


1838. 


HOUSE— No.  52. 


Ill 


formation,  the  strata  dip  more  or  less  beneath  the  horizon,  and  of 
course  the  coal  beds  will  dip  at  the  same  angle.  Being  thus  inclin- 
ed, they  will  also  run  in  the  same  direction  as  the  upturned  edges  of 
the  rock  in  which  they  are  contained.  Hence  every  coal  bed  will 
have  a  certain  dip  and  direction.  The  extent  to  which  the  bed  on 
the  Harden  farm  in  Mansfield  has  been  opened,  viz.  150  feet  each 
way  from  the  shaft,  affords  a  good  opportunity  to  determine  these 
points  in  respect  to  that  mine.  I  applied  the  clinometer  and  pocket 
compass  at  the  bottom  of  this  mine,  and  found  the  dip  to  be  53° 
north-westerly,  and  the  direction  nearly  N.  E.  and  S.  W.,  though 
exhibiting  minor  deviations.  And  such  are  the  dip  and  direction, 
within  a  few  degrees,  of  all  the  rocks  and  coal  beds  that  have  been 
explored  in  the  graywacke  of  Bristol  county  and  in  Rhode  Island; 
except  that  on  the  Island  it  is  said  the  dip  is  90°  south-easterly. 

The  preceding  facts  will  enable  us  to  judge  respecting  the  situa- 
tion of  the  coal  beds  in  this  great  coal  field;  and  perhaps  show  us 
what  is  the  best  method  of  research  to  ascertain  how  many  beds  ac- 
tually exist,  and  also  how  they  may  be  most  advantageously  worked. 
The  following  sketch  may  assist  in  understanding  the  subject.  It  is 
a  supposed  vertical  section  of  the  soil  and  rocks  beneath  the  plain  of 
Mansfield.  It  runs  N.  W.  and  S.  E.  so  as  to  cross  the  strata  of 
rocks  at  right  angles.  Twenty  feet  of  diluvial  soil  are  represented  as 
covering  the  rocks,  and  they  are  shown  dipping  between  50°  and 
60°  to  the  north-west.  Several  beds  of  coal,  a,  #,  a,  a,  a,  are 
shown  lying  between  the  strata. 


112  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 

Now  it  is  evident,  that  if  a  trench  could  be  cut  through  the  loose 
soil  across  the  edges  of  the  strata,  it  would  bring  into  view  all  the 
beds  of  coal  that  exist  in  them.  But  several  gentlemen,  who  are 
practically  acquainted  with  such  operations,  assure  me,  that  such  a 
trench  would  be  far  more  expensive  than  it  would  be  to  sink  a  shaft 
several  hundred  feet  into  the  rock,  as  shown  above  at  A;  and  then 
to  push  horizontal  drifts  through  the  rocks  at  right  angles  to  the 
strata,  as  is  represented  above  by  B,  B,  which  crosses  the  coal  beds 
a,  a,  a,  a,  a.  And  besides,  were  this  done,  and  a  rail-way  laid  at 
the  bottom  of  the  drift,  as  soon  as  a  bed  of  coal  was  discovered, 
the  mining  and  raising  of  it  might  immediately  commence,  without 
preventing  the  further  prosecution  of  the  drift. 

This,  then,  appears  to  me,  the   thing  that  is  wanted  in  the  region 
under  consideration.     Suppose  such  a  shaft,  for  instance,  to  be  sunk 
300  or  400  feet  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mine  on  the  Harden  farm,  and 
a  drift  extended  in  opposite  directions  across  the  strata.     We   might 
be  almost  certain  that  these  drifts  would  cross  several  valuable  beds, 
since  they  are  known  already  to  exist  in  the  vicinity.     And  thus  the 
proprietors  might  have  a  fair  prospect  of  remuneration,  even  if  no 
new  beds  should  be  discovered:  since  this  would  probably,  in  the 
end,  be  the  most  economical  way  of  opening  the  beds  now  known. 
But  it  is  hardly  to  be  conceived  that  no  new  and  valuable  beds  would 
be  discovered  by  extending  the  drift  farther.     Yet  if  they  should  not 
be  found  after  carrying  it  forward  a  reasonable  distance,  it  might  be 
abandoned  with  little  loss.    How  far  it  might  be  thought  advisable  to 
prosecute  such  a  drift,  it  is  difficult  to  say,  until  the  work  be  begun: 
but  perhaps  it  would  be  desirable  to  extend  it  several  miles;  which 
might  be  done,  I  understand,  for  less  than  $25,000  per  mile,  exclu- 
sive of  the  cost  of  the  shaft.     I  should  not  be  surprised  if  in  tunnel- 
ing towards  the   north-west,  from  the  centre   of  Mansfield,  at  the 
depth  of  300  or  400  feet,  the  level  should,  ere  many  miles,  be  ar- 
rested by  unstratified  rocks,  which  rise  to  the  surface  within  a  few 
miles  in  that  direction,  and  the  greywacke  may  be  thinner  near  the 
edges  of  the  formation  than  in  its  more  central  parts.     In  the  oppo- 
site direction,  I  should  not  expect  any  such  obstruction,  till  the  drift 
had  been  carried  to  the  eastern  part  of  Middleborough. 

While  writing  the  preceding  paragraphs  I  was  gratified  to  learn, 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  113 

that  the  three  companies  above  named,  as  engaged  in  mining  for 
coal  in  Mansfield,  are  about  to  unite  their  resources  for  examining 
the  vicinity  of  that  place,  by  a  plan  essentially  the  same  as  that  men- 
tioned above.  At  a  season  of  such  general  stagnation  of  enterprise 
and  business,  this  resolution  is  certainly  deserving  of  high  commen- 
dation. For  should  these  companies  succeed  in  laying  open  a  suf- 
ficient number  of  beds  of  coal  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  eastern 
half  of  Massachusetts,  (and  I  am  not  without  strong  hopes  that  they 
may  succeed,)  so  as  to  render  our  citizens  independent  of  foreign 
importation,  and  reduce  the  price  of  fuel  at  least  one  half,  hardly 
anything  can  be  thought  of  that  would  give  such  a  spur  to  industry 
and  enterprise,  and  tend  more  to  permanent  prosperity.  And  allow 
me  to  inquire,  whether  the  object  is  not  of  sufficient  importance, 
and  the  prospect  of  success  encouraging  enough,  to  induce  the  Gov- 
ernment of  the  State,  by  loan  or  otherwise,  to  encourage  this  under- 
taking. In  general,  it  is  probably  best,  to  leave  such  enterprises  to 
private  efforts  ;  but  in  this  case  the  investments  must  be  so  heavy 
that  private  companies  may  not  feel  justified  in  appropriating  suf- 
ficient money  to  have  the  work  done  thoroughly  :  and  if  the  Govern- 
ment, probably  without  any  pecuniary  loss,  can  lend  its  aid,  it  will 
give  a  powerful  stimulus  to  private  exertions.  I  make  this  sugges- 
tion, however,  without  any  request  on  the  part  of  these  companies, 
and  even  with  scarcely  a  personal  acquaintance  with  any  of  their 
number. 

Diluvial  Drift  of  Coal. 

General  Chandler  mentioned  to  me  a  mode  of  exploring  for  coal, 
which  he  had  successfully  adopted,  and  which  may  be  of  use  to 
others,  depending  on  a  knowledge  of  the  direction  which  was  taken 
by  the  diluvial  waters  that  deposited  the  deep  accumulation  of  sand 
and  gravel  lying  over  the  coal  region.  It  is  an  ingenious  practical 
application,  and  at  the  same  time  a  beautiful  illustration  and  confirma- 
tion of  the  general  doctrine  advanced  in  my  former  Report,  that  a 
powerful  diluvial  current  has  swept  over  this  state  from  the  north. 
Whenever  in  digging  into  the  soil  he  found  fragments  of  coal, 
guided  by  this  principle,  he  dug  in  a  northerly  direction  ;  and  never 


114  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.      March, 

failed  to  find  the  number  and  size  of  the  fragments  to  increase  until 
he  arrived  at  the  bed  from  which  they  were  broken.  Following  the 
fragments  in  the  opposite  direction,  they  continued  to  decrease  in 
size  and  number  until  at  the  distance  of  several  rods  from  the  bed 
they  disappeared.  Hence,  if  in  digging  through  the  soil  no  fragments 
of  coal  should  occur,  it  might  pretty  safely  be  inferred  that  no  bed  of 
much  size  exists  for  several  rods  in  a  northerly  direction  ;  and  if 
they  are  found,  the  explorer  need  be  at  no  loss  in  what  direction  he 
will  find  the  bed. 

Coal  Bed  in  Foxborough. 

I  ought  perhaps  to  have  described  the  coal  bed  in  Foxborough 
earlier.  For  it  is  only  about  two  miles  from  the  excavations  in 
Mansfield,  and  belongs  to  the  same  coal  field.  Good  coal  was  ob- 
tained there,  formerly,  in  two  places  a  few  rods  apart :  but  the  shafts 
are  now  filled  up.  A  specimen  of  this  coal  gave  the  following  results 
upon  analysis  : 

Water,    'V    ^  "V.'.'"  *]T*  "V  ^V'  ^  ^j     5 
Carbon,  T        •   .      .         •       *";•         .  77 

Earths,  oxides,  &c.,  .         .       .,..         .       18 

100 

Specific  gravity,  1.86. 

The  quantity  of  earthy  matter  here  is  much  larger  than  in  the 
specimens  from  Mansfield  ;  yet  it  is  not  much  larger  than  some  of 
the  coals  contain  that  are  extensively  used  ;  and  very  probably  the 
specimen  which  I  analysed  was  comparatively  poor.  It  is  not  pro- 
bable, however,  that  this  bed  will  be  re-opened  at  present. 

Coal  Bed  in  Cumberland,  Rhode  Island. 

The  coal  bed  in  Cumberland,  Rhode  Island,  ought  also  to  be 
noticed  in  this  connection.  For  although  several  miles  distant  from 
Mansfield,  yet  it  lies  in  the  same  rock  formation,  and  only  a  mile 
or  two  beyond  the  limits  of  Massachusetts.  This  has  been  wrought 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  115 

by  the  New  England  Coal  Mining  Company  to  the  depth  of  70 
feet  :  but  operations  are  now  suspended  in  consequence  of  the  de- 
struction of  the  works  by  fire.  At  the  out  crop,  beneath  20  feet  of 
diluvium,  its  width  was  9  feet  ;  but  at  40  feet  in  depth,  it  had  in- 
creased to  14  feet.  The  dip  and  direction  of  the  bed  correspond 
essentially  with  those  in  Mansfield.  For  these  facts  I  am  indebted 
to  Mr.  Foster  Bryant,  who  says  also,  that  there  was  a  decided  in- 
crease in  the  value  of  the  coal  as  it  was  taken  from  successively 
greater  depths.  I  did  not  obtain  any  specimens  for  analysis  from 
this  mine  ;  and  I  confess,  that  when  I  visited  it,  I  was  not  so  favora- 
bly impressed  with  appearances  there  as  at  the  mines  in  Mansfield. 
I  saw  among  the  fragments  thrown  out,  scarcely  any  impressions  of 
vegetables,  and  much  of  the  rock  exhibited  a  glazed  plumbaginous 
appearance,  as  well  as  a  more  crystalline  arrangement  of  parts,  than 
is  usually  found  in  connection  with  good  coal.  This  I  suppose  to 
result  from  the  greater  nearness  of  this  spot  to  the  unstratified  rocks, 
than  the  mines  at  Mansfield.  These  rocks  have  doubtless  once  been 
melted  ;  and  they  have  probably  heated  the  coal  beds  so  much  in 
some  places,  as  to  obliterate  the  organic  remains  and  convert  the 
coal  almost,  and  in  some  cases  quite,  into  plumbago.  Hence  I 
should  expect  that  the  coal  from  such  spots  would  be  more  difficult 
of  combustion,  and  often  contain  more  ashes.  I  noticed  the  same 
appearances' to  some  extent  at  Foxborough,  and  still  more  strikingly 
at  the  coal  bed  in  Wrentham,  and  both  these  places  are  quite  in 
proximity  with  unstratified  sienite  or  granite.  Mr.  Bryant,  however, 
thinks  the  Cumberland  coal  as  good  as  that  in  Mansfield  ;  and  both 
of  them  nearly  equal  to  that  from  Pennsylvania.  And  I  may  be 
mistaken  in  these  suggestions  ;  but  I  thought  it  might  be  well  to 
mention  the  insalutary  influence  of  unstratified  rocks  upon  coal,  that 
explorers  might  be  put  upon  their  guard. 

Several  other  excavations  in  search  of  coal  have  been  made  in 
Mansfield  and  its  vicinity  ;  but  as  they  are  not  large,  and  little  suc- 
cess has  attended  the  efforts,  I  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  go  into 
details  respecting  them  ;  although  I  visited  all  of  which  I  could 
obtain  any  knowledge. 

The  beautiful  impressions  of  vegetables  found  upon  the  slate  that 
embraces  the  coal  at  Mansfield,  are  deeply  interesting  in  a  scientific 


116  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

point  of  view,  and  will  receive  due  attention  in  the  proper  place. 
But  I  do  not  think  proper  to  attempt  a  description  of  them  at  this 
time. 

The  Worcester  Coal. 

No  attempt  has  been  made  since  my  former  Report  to  resume 
operations  at  the  Worcester  coal  bed,  although  such  I  believe  has 
been  the  intention  of  the  proprietor.  This  coal  being  in  a  decided- 
ly older  class  of  rocks  than  those  at  Mansfield,  is  of  course  more 
mineralized,  and  will  burn  with  more  difficulty.  Yet  it  is  certain,  that 
it  is  used  to  advantage  in  some  manufacturing  establishments,  if  not 
in  private  families,  and  hence  it  may  be  of  great  importance.  I  have 
nothing  new  to  add  respecting  it,  however,  except  an  analysis  of  an 
ordinary  specimen,  probably  not  the  best,  that  happened  to  be  in  my 
possession. 

Water,  ^  $  &1.M  *>„-,  ^'  •.'*  '•••  .  .  3 
Carbon,  yj#  <-,.'  .  is***  .  .  .  '  .75 
Earths  and  oxides,  :*;;  .  .  20 

100 

Specific  gravity,  2.12 

By  looking  at  the  Geological  Map  of  the  State,  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  rock  formation  which  embraces  the  Worcester  coal,  extends 
to  the  mouth  of  Merrimack  river  ;  and  of  course,  coal  may  be  found 
in  other  parts  of  the  formation  besides  Worcester.  In  Bradford, 
where  the  general  aspect  of  the  country,  the  character  of  the  soil 
and  of  the  rocks,  correspond  almost  exactly  to  the  region  around 
Worcester,  an  exploration  is  going  on  for  coal  by  means  of  boring, 
which  has  been  continued  to  the  depth  of  nearly  one  hundred  feet. 
I  saw,  however,  no  peculiar  encouragement  at  this  place,  more  than 
at  almost  any  other  in  the  town.  Should  coal  be  found  there,  it  will 
undoubtedly  be  of  the  same  character  as  that  in  Worcester. 

Bituminous  Coal,  West  Springfield. 
In  my  former  Report  (p.  232, 2d  edition)  a  locality  of  bituminous 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  117 

coal  is  described  on  the  north  bank  of  Agawam  river  in  West  Spring- 
field, where  there  is  a  remarkable  upward  bend  in  the  sandstone 
rocks  ;  the  arch  having  a  span,  however,  of  only  a  few  rods.  Within 
two  years  past,  the  banks  and  bed  of  the  river  at  this  place  have  been 
somewhat  extensively  excavated  for  building  factories.  The  conse- 
quence was,  the  bringing  to  light  of  coal  in  larger  quantity,  and  of  the 
most  beautiful  variety,  that  I  have  ever  seen.  (No.  206.)  It  appears 
to  exist  here  in  the  form  of  small  and  irregular  veins,  the  coal  also 
being  filled  with  numerous  thin  veins  and  crystallizations  of  calcareous 
spar.  This  is  a  most  remarkable  mode  of  occurrence,  and  very  in- 
teresting in  a  scientific  point  of  view  :  and  perhaps,  also,  of  conse- 
quence in  a  practical  point  of  view  :  otherwise  I  should  not  here 
describe  it.  Coal  is,  indeed,  described  in  geological  books  as  some- 
times occupying  fissures  in  rocks,  along  with  fragments  of  those 
rocks  :  but  in  this  case  the  coal  is  broken  by  mechanical  violence. 
Yet  at  West  Springfield,  it  has  evidently  been  filled  into  the  fissures, 
just  as  the  associated  calcareous  spar  was,  by  a  chemical  agency. 
The  latter  may  have  been  deposited  from  water:  but  I  can  conceive 
of  no  way  in  which  the  coal  could  have  been  formed,  but  by  subli- 
mation and  subsequent  solidification,  as  the  temperature  was  reduced. 
In  short,  my  supposition  is,  that  coal  may  exist  beneath  this  spot, 
and  that  by.  the  agency  of  trap  rocks,  a  part  of  it  was  melted,  the 
superincumbent  sandstone  forced  up,  and  into  its  fractures  the  melted 
and  sublimated  coal  ascending,  but  not  being  able  to  escape,  was 
reconsolidated  into  coal.  I  am  not  aware  of  any  analogous  fact  hav- 
ing been  noticed  elsewhere ;  and  this  makes  me  less  confident  in  this 
hypothesis.  Yet  every  fact  respecting  this  coal  corresponds  to  it, 
as  does  also  its  chemical  composition.  For  if  it  were  the  result  of 
sublimation,  we  might  expect  it  to  be  free  from  those  earthy  and  me- 
tallic matters,  that  I  believe  have  always  been  found  in  coal  upon 
analysis.  And  such,  it  will  be  seen,  is  the  fact  with  the  West 
Springfield  coal :  or  rather  it  is  free  from  impurity  as  most  crystals 
are.  It  is,  indeed,  difficult  to  separate  mechanically  from  this  coal 
all  the  thin  layers  of  calcareous  spar  with  which  it  abounds,  and  hence 
there  will  often  be  a  small  residuum  after  burning  in  a  platinum  bowl: 
but  diluted  cold  nitric  acid  dissolved  this  almost  entirely,  with  effer- 
vescence in  three  trials  which  I  made  ;  and  hence  I  conclude  it  to  be 
15 


113  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

carbonate  of  lime,  which  ought  not  to  be  reckoned  as  an  impurity, 
because  existing  only  in  the  fissures  of  the  coal. 

A  pure  specimen  of  this  coal  yielded,  upon  analysis,  as  follows : 

Volatile  matter,  (water  and  bitumen,)  22.00 

Carbon,  77.97 

Earthy  residuum,  0.03 

100. 

The  method  which  I  adopted  to  ascertain  the  amount  of  volatile 
matter,  was  simply  to  heat  the  triturated  coal  in  a  broad  platinum 
bowl,  nearly  to  redness,  until  all  the  bituminous  odor  had  disap- 
peared. This,  I  am  aware,  is  not  a  very  satisfactory  mode  of  de- 
termining the  amount  of  bitumen  ;  but  it  is  sufficient  for  my  present 
purpose  to  show,  that  a  rather  large  proportion  of  bitumen  exists  in 
this  coal.  And  every  one  must  see,  that  its  composition  is  such  as 
would  make  it  one  of  the  finest  coals  ever  discovered,  could  it  be 
found  in  sufficient  quantity. 

If  the  hypothesis  above  advanced  be  true,  there  would  result  as 
an  inference  a  probability,  that,  by  boring  into  the  sandstone  in  the 
bed  of  the  river  at  the  highest  part  of  the  arch,  a  bed  of  coal  might 
be  discovered.  And  since  the  span  of  that  arch  is  so  limited,  it 
seems  hardly  possible,  that  the  upheaving  power  can  be  situated  more 
than  100  or  200  feet  below  the  river  :  that  is,  the  trap  rock,  the 
supposed  disturbing  cause,  would  probably  be  struck  before  that 
depth  were  reached  ;  and  since  the  coal,  if  it  exist,  must  lie  above 
the  trap  rock,  this  also  would  be  reached.  Whether  the  probability 
of  finding  a  bed  of  workable  coal  is  strong  enough  to  justify  the 
expenditure  of  a  few  hundred  dollars  in  such  an  exploration,  others 
concerned  can  now  judge  as  well  as  myself. 

The  spot  where  this  coal  occurs,  it  may  be  well  to  mention,  lies 
directly  on  the  route  of  the  rail-road  from  Springfield  to  Albany. 

Peat. 

Taking  the  state  as  a  whole,  peat  is  but  little  used,  either  as  fuel 
or  manure  ;  though  most  employed  for  the  latter  purpose.  Yet  for 
both  purposes  its  use  is  rapidly  increasing,  especially  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  state,  where  fuel  is  more  expensive.  In  view  of  its  im- 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  119 

portance,  I  have  made  some  efforts  to  ascertain  its  probable  amount 
in  our  swamps.  But  this  is  very  difficult ;  both  because  our  swamps, 
where  it  occurs,  have  been  but  slightly  explored,  and  because  much 
is  called  merely  mud,  that  deserves  the  name  of  peat.  Several  gen- 
tlemen, however,  to  whom  I  addressed  inquiries  on  this  subject,  in 
different  towns,  have  ventured  to  give  an  opinion  as  to  the  thickness 
of  the  beds,  and  the  number  of  acres  of  peat  found  there.  The 
following  statement  embraces  nearly  50  towns  ;  though  by  no  means 
all  in  which  I  know  peat  to  exist.  But  my  object  at  this  time  is  to 
give  data  for  forming  an  approximate  estimate  of  the  amount  of  this 
deposite  in  the  state.  Several  other  localities  will  be  found  in  my 
ormer  Report. 


120 


GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.         March, 


«?§* 


f^^4 


11 


g 

<D    3 


3  J?  -§   s       -J   S  Jj         33         S  _f  ji1  3   3   3         3 

IS    .S     S*§  'Si  ''&8SJJS    |  '1 

PQfeniSSfe     S     fa 


g£    £    £;g£    g; 


"  5      S  •  o  S  ro  S 

p  IO   §^  c3   cc  C^   cd 

.  "^^  oo2o 

rt"i    n^  JD  ...  •  ^^  ^?    «^\  ^? 


§§§ 


So«8S.  g          *         rtO 

-    ss-fs   l^llp!  '  'pl|s| 
I  '1111  '^   iaiss  '  'Islsil 


si 


ggo 


<D    « 
1    § 


IjL 


- 


EI    !ii!i!31      i 


rH  ^  ~*  CO 


W  «  00  l>  rH 


1-1  in  Of  d  i-i  PH  Z  7«  4       .-i^ 


--- 


1838, 


HOUSE— No.  52. 


121 


122  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 

It  will  be  seen,  that  scarcely  any  towns,  in  the  four  western  coun- 
ties of  the  state,  are  mentioned  above.  This  is  partly  explained  by 
the  fact,  that  fuel  is  more  plenty  there  than  in  the  eastern  counties, 
so  that  public  attention  has  never  been  directed  so  much  to  our  fossil 
resources.  But  I  think  it  undeniable,  that  the  amount  of  good  peat 
in  the  western  counties  is  much  less  than  in  the  eastern.  Although 
perhaps  the  swamps  abound  as  much  in  vegetable  matter,  that  would 
be  useful  in  agriculture,  yet  it  does  not  seem  to  be  converted  into 
genuine  peat,  though  I  doubt  not  that  it  will  be  easy  to  find  a  large 
amount  of  it  when  there  is  a  demand  for  it.  Excluding  these  west- 
ern counties,  and  taking  the  amount  of  peat  given  in  the  above  state- 
ment as  a  fair  average  of  its  quantity  in  all  the  towns  of  the  other 
counties,  (excluding  the  large  towns,)  it  would  follow,  that  80,000 
acres,  or  125  square  miles,  are  covered  with  peat  in  that  portion  of 
the  state,  being  an  average  thickness  of  6  feet  4  inches.  This  area 
and  depth  would  yield  not  far  from  121  millions  of  cords.  If  this 
should  be  thought  by  any  to  exceed  the  quantity  of  good  peat  exist- 
ing in  that  section,  I  presume  no  one  will  consider  it  too  high  an 
estimate  of  the  amount  of  swamps  filled  with  vegetable  matter.  I 
presume  it  falls  far  short  of  the  true  amount.  And  we  hence  get  an 
enlarged  view  of  the  quantity  of  matter  in  the  state  that  may  be  em- 
ployed as  fuel,  or  in  agriculture,  that  has  hitherto,  except  in  some 
limited  districts,  remained  almost  untouched.  It  is  true,  that  peat  is 
not  so  convenient  and  agreeable  a  kind  of  fuel  as  good  wood  or  coal ; 
yet  it  certainly  answers  a  very  good  purpose,  and  the  facts  in  the 
case  tend  to  allay  the  apprehension,  which  must  sometimes  rise  in 
the  mind  of  one  who  sees,  in  the  gradual  diminution  of  our  forests,  a 
future  check  to  our  prosperity  and  population.  It  is  gratifying  to 
learn,  from  so  many  towns,  that  the  inhabitants  are  awaking  so  much 
to  the  use  of  peat  and  peaty  matter.  Some  gentlemen  have  even 
spoken  of  it  as  a  "  peat  fever."  I  hope  it  has  not  yet  reached  its 
crisis. 


13.     METALLIC  ORES. 

To  this  department  of  our  mineral  resources  I  have  found  time, 
during  the  year,  to  give  but  a  very  inadequate  attention.    Some  new 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  123 

localities,  however,  have  come  to  my  knowledge,  and  the  results  of 
all  that  I  know  of  them  will  now  be  given. 

Carbonate  of  Iron  in  Newbury. 

As  one  passes  from  Newburyport  to  Kent's  Island  in  Newbury, 
just  as  he  arrives  at  the  northern  margin  of  the  salt  marsh  surround- 
ing the  island,  he  will  notice  abundant  fragments  of  a  white  rock, 
coated  over  with  iron  rust.  Suspecting  it  to  be  carbonate  of  iron,  I 
collected  specimens  (No.  176)  and  have  subjected  one  to  analysis 
with  the  following  results: 

Carbonate  of  lime,  ku*  t>     45.67 

Carbonate  of  magnesia,      -        -  a<4  )    8.97 

Proto-carbonate  of  iron,  -  21.76 

Proto-carbonate  of  manganese,  -     16.10 

Silica  and  alumina,         -  3.34 

Loss,  -        •      4.16 

100. 
Specific  gravity,  2.94. 

The  small  quantity  of  iron  in  the  specimen  above  analysed,  and 
the  abundance  of  lime  and  magnesia,  leaves  one  in  doubt  whether  it 
ought  not  to  be  regarded  rather  as  a  magnesian  limestone,  containing 
a  large  amount  of  iron  and  manganese.  A  more  important  question 
is,  whether,  with  so  little  iron,  this  mineral  can  be  profitably  wrought. 
And  yet  some  of  the  ores  of  spathic  iron  in  Europe  that  are  smelted, 
contain  only  a  little  more  than  20  per  cent  of  the  carbonate  of  iron. 
This  ore  is  regarded  in  Europe  as  one  of  the  most  valuable  of  all  the 
ores  of  iron,  especially  for  the  manufacture  of  steel;  the  well  known 
German  steel  being  obtained  from  it:  and  the  character  of  most  of 
the  substances  mixed  with  it  in  Newbury,  especially  of  the  lime,  will 
probably  render  any  other  flux  unnecessary  in  working  it,  unless  it 
be  clay.  At  any  rate,  as  I  noticed  the  quantity  of  the  mineral  to  be 
very  great  at  the  spot  above  named,  and  as  I  may  not  have  selected 
the  richest  specimens  to  be  found  there,  I  have  thought  it  would  be 
best  to  call  the  attention  of  the  Government  to  the  locality. 


124  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 


Magnetic  Iron  in  Warwick. 

It  was  not  till  too  late  in  the  autumn  to  visit  the  spot,  that  my 
attention  was  called  to  a  locality  of  magnetic  iron  in  Warwick,  which, 
from  the  description  given  me,  is  probably  the  most  extensive  in  the 
State.  Yet  I  am  told  that  an  attempt  to  work  it  some  years  ago 
was  abandoned,  on  account  of  some  supposed  impurity.  I  felt, 
therefore,  desirous  to  determine  its  composition,  and  having  obtain- 
ed a  specimen  (No.  177)  through  the  kindness  of  Alden  Spooner, 
Esq.,  I  made  a  single  analysis  with  the  following  results: 

Protoxide  and  peroxide  of  iron,      '.•*<  :  66,4 

Oxide  of  manganese,  -     16.6 

Silica  and  alumina,  -  -         17.0 

100. 

Specific  gravity,  4.47. 

The  large  quantity  of  manganese  in  this  ore  and  its  great  compact- 
ness of  structure,  are  probably  the  cause  of  the  difficulties  that  were 
met  in  attempting  to  work  it.  Probably  they  might  oe  overcome  by 
the  use  of  anthracite  coal  in  a  blast  furnace,  or  still  more  effectually, 
by  the  use  of  the  hot  air  blast,  which  is  coming  extensively  into  use 
in  our  country:  since  probably  all  that  is  wanted  is  an  increase  of 
heat.  Some  other  substance  besides  manganese,  whose  presence  is 
injurious,  may  have  escaped  my  notice  in  the  analysis,  especially  as 
I  have  not  found  time  to  confirm  it  by  repetition.  But  an  extensive 
bed  of  good  iron  ore  ought  not  to  be  abandoned  without  very  thor- 
ough trial :  and  if  what  I  have  here  given  shall  call  the  attention  of 
gentlemen,  who  are  interested  in  the  reduction  of  iron  ore,  to  this  de- 
posite,  my  object  will  be  accomplished. 

Chromite  of  Iron. 

In  the  second  edition  of  my  former  Report,  (p.  366,)  I  called  the 
attention  of  the  Government  to  several  deposites  of  this  uncommon 
and  valuable  ore,  especially  to  one  brought  to  light  in  Chester  by 
Dr.  H.  Holland.  That  gentleman  has  recently  furnished  me  with 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  125 

additional  information  respecting  the  extent  and  composition  of  this 
ore,  which  I  will  slate  in  his  own  language. 

"  The  chrome  ore,"  he  says,  "appears  only  in  the  eastern  por- 
tion of  the  serpentine.  I  have  found  three  distinct  '  out-cropping' 
veins  of  the  ore,  or  more  properly  couches,  crossing  the  serpentine 
which  is  schistose  and  deep  green,  east  and  west,  from  5  to  IS  inches 
in  width.  I  had  a  man  blast  one  of  the  couches,  and  with  a  few 
hours'  labor  procured  some  1200  pounds  of  the  ore.  I  have  one 
mass  very  pure  of  60  pounds." 

UI  have  tested  the  mineral  as  accurately  as  possible  to  determine 
its  comparative  value,  and  found  it  upon  analysis,  similar  to  Uralian 
clhromite  of  iron,  giving  from  52  to  53  per  cent  of  oxide  of  chrome, 
as  it  enters  into  composition,  a  protoxide.  The  iron  is  from  33  to 
35  per  cent,  a  peroxide,  by  calcination  :  which  removed  by  hydro- 
chloric acid,  from  the  residuum  of  first  calcination,  gave  a  distinct 
trace  of  platinum,  as  I  considered  if." 

"  Perhaps  I  might  have  been  mistaken.  I  was  led  to  notice  it, 
from  the  fact  that  platinum  is  found  associated  with  chromite  of  iron 
in  Siberia  as  well  as  in  the  chrornite  of  iron  and  iron  sand  of  St. 
Domingo.  The  Chester  chromite  of  iron  has  been  tested  by  the 
Messrs.  Tieman  of  New  York,  practical  chemists.  When  made  fine 
and  freed  from  the  matrix,  silex,  alumina  and  magnesia,  as  pure  as 
usual  for  the  arts  in  gross,  it  is  found  to  yield,  like  the  Maryland 
and  Pennsylvania  chrome  ore,  about  43  per  cent  of  protoxide  of 
chrome,  which  combines  with  the  potash." 

It  is  well  known  that  some  of  the  most  beautiful  paints  in  use,  as 
the  chrome  yellow,  chrome  green,  &c.  are  prepared  from  this  ore. 
And  to  such  a  use  it  is  Dr.  Holland's  intention  to  apply  the  Chester 
chromite,  whenever  it  can  be  done  profitably.  The  foreign  salts  of 
chrome  have  till  recently  been  sold  at  so  low  a  rate,  that  it  has  been 
impossible  to  compete  with  them  in  a  country  where  labor  is  so  dear 
as  among  us.  But  these  articles  have  recently  risen  in  market:  and 
it  seems  hardly  possible  to  doubt,  but  that  a  mine  of  chromite  of  iron 
must  ere  many  years  become  exceedingly  valuable.  A  few  years 
since,  Dr.  Holland  prepared  several  salts  from  the  Chester  chromite, 
and  he  has  been  kind  enough  to  send  me  the  only  parcels  of  them 
yet  remaining,  and  I  have  put  them  into  the  collection  forwarded  here- 
16 


126  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

with.  No.  220  is  a  specimen  of  the  Chester  chromate  of  iron:  No. 
221  chromate  of  potassa  :  No.  222  chromate  of  lead,  or  chrome 
yellow  :  No.  223  dichromate  of  lead. 

Hematite  Iron  Ore.     (Limonite,) 

I  formerly  supposed  that  the  rich  beds  of  this  ore  in  Berkshire 
were  contained  in  a  tertiary  formation  ;  but  an  examination  of  many 
other  beds  in  New  York,  has  satisfied  me,  that  the  beds,  which  at 
their  upper  part  are  mixed  with  clay  and  soil,  extend  downwards,  in- 
to the  older  rocks,  the  mica  slate  and  talcose  slate  of  Berkshire 
county.  Indeed,  at  West  Stockbridge,  (the  only  bed  in  Berkshire 
that  I  have  recently  examined,)  the  excavation  has  proceeded  so  far 
as  to  bring  to  view  the  ore  that  has  never  been  disturbed,  having  the 
same  inclination  as  the  rocks  of  that  region ;  while  we  see  that  all  the 
upper  portion  has  been  broken  up  and  mixed  together  by  diluvial 
and  alluvial  action.  This  appears  to  rne  to  be  an  interesting  and  im- 
portant fact.  For  had  this  ore  extended  no  deeper  than  the  loose 
soil,  it  would  ere  long  have  been  exhausted.  But  if  it  forms  beds  in 
the  rocks  beneath,  there  is  little  danger  that  the  bottom  of  it  will  ever 
be  reached. 

I  am  informed  by  E.  B.  Garfield,  Esq.,  that  several  hundred  tons 
of  the  Limonite  have  been  dug  in  the  south  part  of  Tyringham,  and 
that  "  strong  indications  of  extensive  beds  "  exist  there.  And  I 
have  already  alluded  to  the  probable  existence  of  an  extensive  bed  in 
the  west  part  of  New  Marlborough.  I  mention  these  facts,  because 
no  notice  was  taken  of  them  in  my  former  reports,  and  because  they 
add  another  item  to  the  rich  list  of  mineral  resources  in  Berkshire 
county. 

Copperas  ( Sulphate  of  Iron)  from  the  Sulphuret  of  Iron. 

1  am  informed  by  Ethan  A.  Greenwood,  Esq.,  that  at  the  cop- 
peras works  in  Hubbardston,  not  less  than  75  tons  of  that  salt,  of 
good  quality,  are  annually  manufactured,  and  that  the  quantity  of  ore 
is  inexhaustible  ;  a  fact  of  which  any  one  I  think  will  be  convinced, 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  127 

who  will  visit  the  locality.     I  see  not  why  these  works  may  not  be 
carried  on  profitably  to  a  very  great  extent. 

Galena  in  Uxbridge. 

A  vein,  or  more  probably  a  bed,  of  the  sulphuret  of  lead,  exists 
on  the  farm  of  Chilon  Tucker  in  the  south-west  part  of  Uxbridge. 
It  is  in  quartz  rock  and  has  been  excavated  a  few  feet.  But  the 
indications  are  certainly  not  very  encouraging.  Facts  of  this  de- 
scription, however,  should  be  recorded,  as  they  often  lead  to  valua- 
ble discoveries. 

Blende,  Galena  and  Copper  Ore  in  Russell. 

'  John  Gould,  Esq.,  has  sent  me  from  his  farm  in  Russell,  speci- 
mens of  quartz  containing  sulphuret  of  zinc,  sulphuret  of  lead,  and  a 
small  quantity  of  sulphuret  of  copper.  The  ore  with  its  gangue  ex- 
actly resembles  that  at  the  Southampton  mines,  and  1  doubt  not  but 
there  exists  in  Russell  another  vein  similar  to  those  in  Southampton, 
Hatfield,  Willinmsburgh,  &c.,  which  I  have  formerly  described.  I 
have  learned  nothing  of  the  extent  of  the  supposed  vein  in  Russell. 

Galena,  Blende,  and  Titanium,  in  Norwich. 

A  similar  vein  of  ore  has  been  discovered  in  Norwich,  and  has 
been  wrought  to  some  extent  by  the  proprietor,  Mr.  Quartus  Angell, 
who  has  sent  me  specimens,  and  says,  that  the  vein  is  about  three  feet 
wide.  The  ore,  which  I  consider  as  titanium  without  chemical  anal- 
ysis, appears  in  these  specimens  to  be  more  abundant  than  the 
others.  A  variety  of  porcelain  clay  occurs  at  the  same  place,  which 
I  shall  notice  farther  on. 

Galena  in  West  Stockbridge  and  *Alford. 

Charles  B.  Boynton,  Esq.,  of  West  Stockbridge,  informs  me,  that 
galena  occurs  in  the  south  part  of  that  town  ;  and  I  am  told  also  by 
Roswell  Picket,  Esq.,  that  the  same  ore  is  found  a  mile  north  of 


128  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 

the  centre  of  Alford.  It  is  possible  that  the  two  localities,  being  so 
near  each  other,  may  have  been  confounded  ;  but  more  probable  thai 
the  same  vein  extends  into  the  two  towns.  I  know  nothing  of  the 
appearance  of  the  ore  in  the  rocks. 

With  the  exception  of  that  in  Uxbridge,  I  have  not  been  able  to 
visit  any  of  the  above  mentioned  localities  of  lead,  zinc,  and  copper 
ore,  chiefly  because  they  were  in  most  instances  not  made  known  to 
me  till  too  late  in  the  season.  Their  existence,  however,  should  be 
recorded,  and  the  requisite  examinations  can  be  made  at  a  future 
time.* 


14.     OCHRES  AND  STONE  PAINTS. 

It  is  well  known,  that  the  oxide  of  iron,  mixed  with  clay  or  soil, 
forms  the  paints  called  ochres.  Although  very  many  places  in  our 
soils  have  an  ochrey  appearance,  yet  I  have  not  till  recently  met 
with  any  deposites  in  Massachusetts  that  appeared  to  me  to  promise 
much  for  paints.  Those  of  which  specimens  will  now  be  found  in 
the  collection  herewith  sent,  seem  to  me  worthy  the  attention  of  those 
who  prepare  colors. 

The  deposite  which  promises  far  more  than  any  other  that  I  have 
seen,  accidentally  arrested  my  attention,  as  I  was  passing  the  farm  of 
Josiah  Sheldon  in  the  west  part  of  New  Marlborough.  In  several  places 
over  a  hill  embracing  a  number  of  acres,  he  has  made  excavations  a 
few  feet  deep,  and  found  an  abundance  of  yellow  and  light  red  ochres, 
(see  Nos.  164,  165)  which  probably  might  yield  some  of  the  best 
of  this  sort  of  paints.  And  besides,  it  seems  very  probable,  that 

*  Mr.  Thomas  H.  Perry,  of  Abington,  informs  me,  that  not  long  since  several  ounces  of 
quicksilver  were  washed  out  from  a  bushel  or  two  of  sand  on  the  margin  of  a  pond  on  land 
of  Benjamin  Hobart,  Esq.  That  gentleman  has  shown  me  a  specimen,  and  says,  that  the 
sand  in  which  it  was  found  had  been  previously  carted  from  an  excavation  of  considerable 
depth  in  the  vicinity.  He  says  that  the  spot  is  quite  an  unfrequented  one,  and  that  he  can 
conceive  no  way  in  which  the  quicksilver  could  have  been  accidentally  spilled  there.  He 
has  not.  however,  examined  the  excavation  to  ascertain  whether  more  may  not  be  found. 
It  would  be  premature  therefore,  to  decide  that  this  is  actually  a  locality  of  native  quick- 
silver 5  but  the  fact  would  be  so  interesting  should  it  prove  to  be  so,  that  I  give  this  nole  in 
order  to  excite  to  further  examination.  Near  the  same  spot,  Mr.  Hobarl  informs  me  an  exca- 
vation a  few  feet  deep  has  been  made  in  search  of  coal  in  the  graywacke,  and  some  im- 
pure specimens  obtained,  and  preparations  are  making'  for  further  explorations. 


1835.  HOUSE— No.  52.  129 

there  will  be  found  in  this  field  a  rich  bed  of  the  hydrate  of  iron,  or  the 
hematitic  iron  ore,  so  abundant  in  other  parts  of  Berkshire  county. 

No.  163  was  obtained  from  what  is  called  the  Jewett  farm,  in  the 
north  part  of  Rowley,  on  the  road  to  Newbury.  It  occurs  in  a  low 
spot  of  ground,  and  has  been  formerly  used  for  painting  a  house. 
The  specimen  is  of  a  coarser  texture  than  those  from  New  Marlbo- 
rough  :  but  the  former  excavation  was  nearly  filled  up,  and  I  had  no 
time  to  have  it  re-opened  ;  so  that,  perhaps,  this  specimen  does  not 
exhibit  a  fair  sample  of  this  locality. 

No.  161  was  sent  me  from  Athol,  by  Alden  Spooner,  Esq.,  who 
says  that  it  occurs  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  and  also  in  Temple- 
ton  ;  but  he  gives  no  farther  particulars. 

No.  162  is  from  Monroe,  for  which  I  am  indebted  to  Martin  Bal- 
lou,  Esq.  He  informs  me,  that  it  was  formerly  dug  to  some  extent 
and  prepared  for  paint  ;  but  not  being  in  much  demand,  the  work 
was  abandoned.  It  certainly  appears  as  if  it  might  be  valuable. 

While  this  report  was  in  press,  I  received  from  Bedford  a  speci- 
men of  yellow  ochre  of  very  good  quality  ;  but  too  late  to  be  added 
at  present  to  the  state  collection.  I  am  informed  that  it  occurs  there 
"  in  two  or  more  places,"  and  in  considerable  quantity. 

In  my  former  Report,  I  suggested  the  use  of  the  sulphate  of  bary- 
ta, which  occurs  in  great  quantity  in  Hatfield,  as  a  paint — a  patent 
having  been  taken  out  for  its  preparation.  But  I  am  not  aware  that 
the  Hatfield  stone  has  been  employed  for  this  purpose.  Other  rocks, 
also,  which  have  of  late  been  used  as  lithic  paints,  abound  in  this  state. 
Soapstone,  of  which  we  have  such  inexhaustible  quantities,  is  consid- 
ered best  for  this  purpose,  and  serpentine  is  also  employed.  These 
are  ground  with  whale  oil  ;  and  in  Connecticut,  where  they  have 
been  manufactured,  they  are  sold  for  five  dollars  per  hundred  pounds. 
They  answer  a  good  purpose  as  a  basis  for  common  paints,  espe- 
cially for  the  roofs  of  houses.  I  should  presume  that  the  newly  dis- 
covered serpentine  in  Lynnfield  is  very  well  adapted  for  this  object, 
being  unusually  soft  and  free  from  foreign  minerals. 

15.     MOULDING  SAND. 
I  have  been  surprised  to  find,  on  inquiry  of  gentlemen  in  various 


130  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.        March, 

parts  of  the  state,  who  are  engaged  in  casting  iron  and  brass,  that 
nearly  all  their  moulding  sand  is  brought  from  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  state  ;  and  most  of  it  from  as  great  a  distance  at  least,,  as  Hudson 
river.  I  feel  a  strong  confidence  that  this  need  not  be  always  thus  ; 
and  that  careful  research  may  bring  to  light  good  moulding  sand 
within  our  own  limits.  Captain  Lemuel  Drake,  of  Easton,  who  has 
the  management  of  extensive  castings  in  iron,  informs  me,  that  he 
has  obtained  moulding  sand,  ihough  not  of  the  best  quality,  in  Bridge- 
water,  Medfield,  Easton,  and  Foxborough.  No.  166  is  a  specimen 
from  the  last  named  place,  and  No.  167  is  from  Montague  ;  which 
I  have  placed  in  the  Collection  because  it  bears  a  resemblance  to 
good  moulding  sand,  although  it  has  not  been  thoroughly  tried.  For 
a  similar  reason  I  have  put  up  No.  168,  from  Norwich.  It  appears 
to  be  the  result  of  the  decomposition  of  granite,  and  may  perhaps 
answer  in  the  casting  of  brass.  I  have  one  or  two  other  specimens, 
which  I  mean  as  soon  as  possible  to  submit  to  the  examination  and 
trial  of  men  practically  acquainted  with  the  subject.  ; x;  fj 

A.  A.  Hayes,  Esq.,  of  Roxbury,  informs  me,  that  a  variety  of 
quicksand  is  sometimes  employed  there  by  the  brass  founders,  and 
that  it  makes  a  sharp  impression.  The  same  substance  is  use'd  in 
Carver,  as  I  am  told,  by  John  Savery,  Esq.,  for  parting  the  moulds 
of  castings,  and  for  the  case  of  tea-kettle  spouts. 

My  statements  on  this  subject  are  so  immature  and  meagre,  that 
I  should  not  give  them,  did  I  not  hope  thereby  to  excite  observing 
men  to  notice  substances  that  might  be  employed  for  moulding  sand, 
which  may  fall  in  their  way. 

16.     PORCELA.IN  AND  PIPE  CLAY. 

Rowing  how  important  in  several  manufactures  is  white  clay 
which  contains  no  iron,  and  how  rare  it  is  in  New  England,  I  have 
sought  after  it  with  care.  It  has  long  been  known  that  such  a  clay 
exists  at  Gay  Head,  and  in  other  places  on  Martha's  Vineyard  ;  and 
it  has  been  used  for  several  purposes :  yet  it  is  not  delicate  enough 
for  the  manufacturer  of  porcelain,  though  valuable  for  coarser  articles. 
During  the  past  winter,  specimens  have  been  sent  me  from  the  vi- 
cinity of  the  lead  and  zinc  ore  in  Norwich,  noticed  above,  which 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  131 

appear  to  be  a  variety  of  porcelain  clay  ;  and  so  far  as  I  can  judge 
from  the  imperfect  description  that  has  been  furnished  me,  it  ap- 
pears to  be  abundant.  Some  of  this,  along  with  a  specimen  from 
Gay  Head,  I  have  subjected  to  analysis  in  the  usual  way,  and  ob- 
tained the  following  results  : 

Gay  Head  Clay.  Norwich  Clay. 

Water  of  Absorption,   -         9.00  -  8.00 

Silica,     •.  -                     62.26  53.40 

Alumina,     -  .  ••>•      29.31  -      'V       -       36.26 

Lime,     -  0.18  0.24 

Magnesia,   -  0.45  -                            0.68 

Manganese,  -                       0.15  >";               -     0.20 

Loss,  1.22 

101.35  100. 

No  iron  could  be  detected  in  the  above  specimens  ;  (Nos.  144 
and  145  of  the  Collection.)  And  since  clay  of  this  description  is 
so  important  for  the  manufacture  of  fine  bricks,  white  pottery,  and 
porcelain,  it  will  be  an  object  to  have  farther  examinations  made  of 
the  Norwich  bed.  Its  composition  corresponds  very  well  with  that 
of  many  of  the  European  porcelain  clays,  although  I  believe  in  them 
no  manganese  has  been  detected.  But  the  minute  quantity  found  by 
me  cannot  affect  the  value  of  the  clay.  Some  of  this  clay  is  quite 
hard.  . 

It  is  by  no  means  all  of  our  white  clays  that  are  destitute  of  iron, 
as  may  be  seen  by  examing  Nos.  142  and  143.  And  it  may  be  well 
to  mention  an  easy  method  of  determining,  when  chemical  tests  are 
not  at  hand,  whether  a  clay  contain  iron  or  not.  If  it  does  not  it  will 
not  turn  yellow  or  red  when  burnt  strongly  in  the  fire.  The  red  col- 
or of  our  common  bricks  is  occasioned  by  the  iron  which  they  con- 
tain, and  which  is  peroxidised  by  the  heat. 

17.     CLAY  AS  A  SUBSTITUTE  FOR  FULLER'S  EARTH. 
In  my  former  Report  I  mentioned  the  fact,  that  the  common  clay 


132  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

of  the  Connecticut  valley  had  been  used  as  a  substitute  for  Fuller's 
Earth.  But  I  was  not  till  recently  aware  how  extensively  this  sub- 
stitution had  been  made.  I  am  told  by  the  Agent  of  the  "Woollen 
Factory  in  Northampton,  that  this  substitution  is  made  very  exten- 
sively in  this  state  and  in  Connecticut,  and  that  the  clay  is  considered 
even  better  than  the  Fuller's  Earth  for  cleansing  the  dye-stuff  from 
cloth.  That  in  Northampton  has  been  considered  as  rather  better 
than  in  other  places  ;  and  hence  it  is  transported  often  quite  a  dis- 
tance. It  is  also  used  in  private  families  for  extracting  grease  and 
oil  from  cloth.  It  is  first  made  into  a  paste,  and  then  applied  and 
suffered  to  dry.  It  doubtless  operates  by  its  great  absorbing  power. 
When  applied  to  the  tongue  it  adheres  very  firmly.  No.  183  is  a 
specimen  from  Northampton. 

I  learn  that  the  clay  in  the  north  part  of  Worcester  County  is  em- 
ployed in  the  same  manner  ;  and  I  doubt  not  but  the  variety  proper 
for  this  use  may  be  found  in  many  parts  of  the  state  ;  although  that 
in  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut  appears  to  be  rather  better  than 
any  that  I  have  met  with  elsewhere.  Fullers'  earth,  which  is  brought 
from  England,  sells,  I  am  told,  for  $10  per  ton.  The  clay  can  cost 
nothing  but  the  transportation. 

18.     FELDSPAR  AND  ALBITE  FOR  THE  GLAZING  OP  PORCELAIN 

WARE. 

The  articles  of  pottery  and  porcelain  made  from  white  clay  need 
to  be  covered  with  a  glaze  of  some  other  substance:  that  is,  with  an 
enamel,  or  glass:  for  the  clay  in  its  pure  state  does  not  melt  in  com- 
mon furnaces.  Now  feldspar  and  albite,  whose  composition  is  very 
much  alike,  except  that  the  latter  contains  soda  and  the  former  po- 
tassa,  on  account  of  the  alkalies  in  their  composition,  may  be  melted 
in  a  strong  heat:  and  hence  they  are  employed  for  the  most  delicate 
kinds  of  glazing.  Common  glazing,  which  consists  of  powdered 
gun  flints,  litharge  and  table  salt,  is  so  soft  as  soon  to  yield  to  the 
mechanical  and  chemical  agents  to  which  the  articles  are  exposed  ; 
and  it  would  be  very  desirable  that  feldspar  might  be  employed  in  all 
cases,  though,  as  the  process  for  ^its  preparation  is  at  present  con- 
ducted, it  would  be  more  expensive. 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  133 

I  know  of  no  attempt  to  employ  any  of  the  feldspar  of  Massachu- 
setts for  glazing ;  and  yet  we  possess  in  our  granites,  sienites,  and 
gneiss,  inexhaustible  quantities,  and  much,  no  doubt,  pure  enough  for 
this  purpose.  Can  there  be  any  doubt,  for  instance,  but  that  the 
adularia  of  Brimfield,  Southbridge,  &c.  would  furnish  a  most  admi- 
rable article,  since  it  is  nothing  but  the  very  purest  variety  of  feld- 
spar. The  best  locality  of  albite  in  the  state  is  in  the  north-west  part 
of  Chesterfield,  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Clark:  and  I  have  understood 
that  it  has  been  purchased  not  long  since,  by  a  company  in  New 
York,  for  the  purpose  of  using  it  in  the  manufacture  of  China  ware, 
or  porcelain:  but  I  have  not  learned  whether  they  are  now  prosecut- 
ing the  work. 

Beds  of  feldspar  and  albite  have  been  quarried  in  Connecticut, 
within  a  few  years  past,  with  much  success.  In  Middletown  alone, 
in  the  year  1836,  seven  hundred  tons  were  dug  out ;  six  hundred  of 
which  were  shipped  to  Liverpool.* 

19.     FELDSPAR  AND  MICA  FOR  OBTAINING  POTASSA. 

Good  feldspar  contains  nearly  20  per  cent,  and  mica  1 6  per  cent, 
of  potassa  ;  and  it  has  recently  been  proposed  in  Europe  to  extract 
the  alkali  by  calcination  with  lime.  While  our  forests  remain  so 
extensive  as  at  present,  we  shall  not  need  to  resort  to  this  method 
to  obtain  potassa.  But  should  coal  ever  become  the  principal  fuel, 
it  is  gratifying  to  know  that  we  have  so  abundant  a  source  of  this 
valuable  substance.  Albite,  treated  in  like  manner,  would  yield 
soda,  though  only  about  9  or  10  per  cent. 

20.     MATERIALS  FOR  WATER-PROOF  CEMENT. 

I  have  already  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  best  materials  in  the 
state  for  making  a  mortar  that  will  harden  under  water,  and  which 
goes  by  the  name  of  Water  Cement,  Hydraulic  Cement,  Roman  Ce- 
ment, &c.,  had  not  yet  been  used.  I  presumed  that  the  argillo-ferru- 
ginous  limestone,  of  Springfield  and  West  Springfield,  (No.  185,) 

*  Prof.  Shephard's  Geological  Report,  p.  72. 
17 


134  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.          March, 

much  of  which  occurs  in  nodules,  which  are  now  thrown  away,  is  much 
better  adapted  to  this  purpose  than  the  fetid  limestone  in  use.     I  am 
confirmed  in  this  opinion  by  the  following  remarks,  which  I  have  trans- 
lated from  a  recent  work  by  Professor  Mitscherlich,  of  Berlin,  than 
whom  no  better  authority  could  be  quoted.  He  says,  "  the  best  hy- 
draulic lime  is  obtained  from  an  argillo-calcareous  rock,  which  is  found 
in  concretionary  masses  in  marl ;  (the  West  Springfield  rock,  would  in 
Europe,  probably,  be  called  red  marie.)     If  this  be  reduced  into  a 
thick  paste  by  water,  it  becomes  solid  as  rapidly  as  gypsum :    its 
solidity  increases  with  the  time  during  which  it  is  immersed,  (in 
water,)  and  it  finally  acquires  the  hardness  of  limestone."*     I  felt 
some  little  doubt  what  might  be  the  effect  of  the  magnesia  which 
analysis  shows  this  rock  to  contain.  But  Mitscherlich  says,  that  u  ac- 
cording to  experiments  in  the  small  way,  magnesian  limestone  merits 
the  preference  over  the  carbonate  of  lime."     So  that  I  very  much 
hope  that  some  of  our  enterprising  citizens  will  make  a  trial  of  this 
limestone — tons  of  which  can  easily  be  obtained  where  excavations 
are  going  on  in  the  Springfields. 

Another  substance  mentioned  by  this  writer  as  valuable  for  water- 
proof mortar,  deserves  to  be  noticed,  especially  as  it  may  be  of 
service  to  the  inhabitants  of  Berkshire,  where  tne  common  hydraulic 
limestone  does  not  occur.  "  A  marl,"  says  Mitscherlich,  "  which 
contains  from  13  to  19  per  cent  of  clay,  makes  a  good  hydraulic 
mortar ;  and  if  the  clay  contains  an  excess  of  silica,  this  circum- 
stance increases  the  good  qualities  of  the  mortar."  He  refers,  I 
presume,  to  indurated  marl :  but  I  know  of  no  reason  why  that  which 
is  pulverulent  may  not  answer  equally  well,  after  being  burnt  into 
quicklime. 

Another  mode  of  preparing  the  water-proof  mortar,  is  by  mixing 
certain  substances  with  lime  in  particular  proportions.  Puzzolana, 
which  is  a  substance  ejected  in  former  times  from  volcanoes — a  kind 
of  volcanic  ashes — is  one  of  the  ingredients  that  has  been  employed 
from  the  earliest  times.  Trass  or  Tarras,  is  a  vesicular  decom- 
posing basalt,  which  has  been  extensively  employed  for  the  same 
purpose  in  Holland,  in  the  construction  of  dykes  against  the  sea.  I 
am  satisfied  that  the  vesicular  decomposing  amygdaloid,  so  common 

*  Elemens  de  Chimie,  par  E.  Mitscherlich,  Professor  de  Chimie  a  Berlin,  &c. ;  tome  Troi- 
sieme,  p.  120.  Bruxelles,  1836. 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  135 

in  the  region  of  Connecticut  river,  is  so  very  similar  to  tarras  and 
puzzolana,  that  it  might  profitably  be  employed  for  the  same  purpose. 
I  have  accordingly  subjected  a  specimen  to  analysis,  (No.  160,) 
taken  from  Mount  Holyoke,  in  the  north-east  part  of  Belchertown, 
where  great  quantities  of  it  may  be  obtained.  The  following  are 
the  results. 

Water,  -                    8.50 

Silica,     -  -     53.70 

Alumina,      -  -                            13.00 

Peroxide  of  Iron,  -     21.00 

Oxide  of  manganese,     •  •                    0.19 

Lime,  '  -                '  -      0.70 

Magnesia,  0.15 

Sulpher,  and  loss,              -  -       2.76 

100. 

By  an  analysis  of  Bergmann,  puzzolana  has  the  following  eompo- 
tion  : 

Silica,          -  55  to  60  per  cent. 

Alumina,  -     19  "  20       " 
Calcareous  matter,  5  "     6       " 

Iron,       -  -     15  "  20       " 

The  correspondence  between  this  analysis  and  the  one  which  I 
have  given,  is  near  enough  to  show  that  in  all  probability  both  would 
answer  almost  equally  well  for  the  water  cement.  And  I  strongly 
hope  that  this  substance,  for  which  there  is  such  an  increasing  de- 
mand, will  not  much  longer  be  imported  from  Europe.  V'«' 

21.     STEATITE  OR  SOAPSTONE. 

Waving  all  remarks  respecting  the  strictly  scientific  meaning  of 
the  terms  steatite  and  soapstone,  I  include  in  them  all  those  soft  unc- 
tuous rocks,  useful  for  economical  purposes,  which  are  composed  al- 
most entirely  of  talc.  And  my  object  is  not  to  give  any  farther  ac- 
count of  those  extensive  and  numerous  dep. sites  of  this  substance  in 


136  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

Massachusetts  which  are  described  in  my  former  report,  but  merely 
to  notice  a  few  new  localities. 

No.  214  is  a  specimen  of  laminated  green  talc  from  Fitchburg.  I 
am  told  that  the  bed  is  four  feet  thick,  and  most  of  it  of  a  much  finer 
grain  than  this  specimen.  A  smaller  specimen  sent  me  is  nearly 
compact.  If  enough  of  either  kind  can  be  obtained,  free  from  for- 
eign minerals,  there  is  no  doubt  but  it  may  prove  valuable. 

Dr.  Anthony  Jones,  of  Newburyport,  informs  me,  that  he  has  dis- 
covered and  owns  a  bed  of  soapstone  on  the  banks  of  the  Merrimack, 
two  miles  west  of  that  place.  But  as  I  have  seen  neither  a  specimen 
nor  the  locality,  I  can  say  nothing  more  respecting  it. 

The  most  interesting  and  important  locality  of  this  rock,  not  for- 
merly described,  is  in  the  east  part  of  Andover,  four  miles  from  the 
Theological  Seminary.  The  bed  lies  in  hornblendic  gneiss,  whose 
stratification  is  very  irregular  and  indistinct ;  but  I  ascertained  its  di- 
rection to  be  almost  N.  E.  and  S.  W.  and  its  dip  large,  correspond- 
ing in  both  respects  with  the  great  deposite  of  gneiss  extending  di- 
agonally across  the  state.  The  bed  is  not  less  than  50  feet  thick  ; 
and  has  been  opened  by  the  proprietors,  Flint,  Jenkins  &  Co.,  sev- 
eral rods  in  length.  They  have  wrought  it  for  a  variety  of  purposes, 
and  it  admits  of  being  smoothed  so  as  to  appear  well.  Its  composi- 
tion is  remarkably  uniform,  consisting  essentially  of  rather  hard  folia- 
ted talc,  though  occasionally  a  black  mineral  is  disseminated  through 
it,  which  appears  to  be  hornblende.  Its  strength  appears  to  be 
greater  than  marble  ;  as  the  proprietors  informed  me  that  a  square 
piece  2  inches  thick,  laid  on  two  supports  18  inches  apart,  sustained 
800  pounds,  laid  upon  a  spot  in  the  centre  only  half  an  inch  wide  ; 
860  pounds  broke  it. 

The  specimen  No.  213  gives  no  idea  of  this  rock,  except  as  it  is 
newly  broken  from  the  quarry.  The  proprietors,  however,  inform 
me,  that  one  or  two  monuments  made  from  it,  have  been  placed  at 
Mount  Auburn.  And  for  such  a  purpose  it  seems  well  adapted.  I 
cannot  but  believe  that  this  rock,  which  is  certainly  a  peculiar  one, 
and  quite  different  from  ordinary  soapstones,  will  ere  long  come  into 
extensive  use,  and  the  enterprizing  proprietors  be  rewarded  for  their 
expense  and  perseverance.  It  seems  applicable  to  nearly  every  use 
for  which  marble  is  employed. 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  137 

Large  boulders  of  this  rock  are  scattered  over  a  considerable  space 
around  the  quarry,  in  an  east  and  west  direction,  and  since  the  dilu- 
vial current  in  this  region  was  from  the  north,  these  boulders  render 
it  probable  that  the  bed  is  far  more  extensive  than  the  spot  which  is 
opened  ;  or  that  other  beds  occur  beneath  the  surface. 


22.     SERPENTINE  OR  VERD  ANTIQUE  MARBLE. 

A  remarkably  interesting  bed  of  serpentine  has  been  recently  dis- 
covered in  the  town  of  Lynnfield,  near  the  centre  of  the  place,  where 
a  quarry  has  been  opened.  The  proprietor,  Mr.  James  C.  Nichols, 
informs  me  that  he  has  traced  the  bed  in  a  north-east  direction  from 
this  spot  two  or  three  miles.  Where  it  crosses  the  county  road 
leading  from  North  Reading  to  Salem,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
the  quarry,  a  large  quantity  was  blasted  out,  which  was  too  hard  to 
be  wrought  without  great  difficulty.  The  bed  has  not  been  traced 
far  to  the  south-east  of  the  quarry,  as  the  rocks  are  mostly  concealed 
by  diluvium.  But  the  great  quantity  of  serpentine  blocks  scattered 
in  a  rather  south-west  direction  for  two  or  three  miles,  show  that  it 
does  extend  that  way  a  considerable  distance  :  while  their  great 
number  gives  us  a  striking  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  whole  bed. 
There  can  be  no  such  thing  as  exhausting  it.  Its  width  in  some 
places  is  not  less  than  nine  or  ten  rods. 

Although  on  the  Geological  Map  of  the  State  I  have  represented 
sienite  as  existing  at  the  centre  of  Lynnfield,  yet  from  the  direction 
of  the  bed  of  serpentine,  as  well  as  the  character  of  the  diluvium,  I 
am  satisfied  that  it  is  embraced  in  the  great  gneiss  formation  whose 
strata  run  from  north-east  to  south-west  across  the  state.  Probably 
the  bed  is  not  far  from  the  eastern  limits  of  this  formation. 

This  serpentine,  for  the  most  part,  appears  to  form  that  variety 
which  goes  by  the  name  of  Verd  Antique  Marble.  When  first 
quarried,  "  it  is  much  softer,"  says  the  proprietor,  "than  any  marble 
I  have  seen.  It  can  be  cut  with  a  handsaw,  or  turned  in  a  lathe, 
nearly  as  easy  as  lignum  vitae  ;  but  while  in  this  soft  state  it  will 
not  receive  so  high  a  polish."  The  specimen  No.  215,  which  was 
polished  andj^  presented  to  the  state  collection  by  Mr.  Nichols,  will 
give  an  idea  of  common  specimens  of  this  stone.  He  says  that  "  this 


138  GEOLOGY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.       March, 

serpentine  can  doubtless  be  wrought  with  less  expense  than  common 
marble.  We  have  made  but  a  small  opening,  yet  we  have  obtained 
some  sound  slabs  five  feet  in  length  ;  and  we  shall  doubtless  find 
the  stonejsufficiently  sound  to  afford  slabs  large  enough  for  any  ordi- 
nary purpose.  We  have  not  manufactured  much  of  the  stone,  nor 
offered  any  for  sale:  yet  we  have  full  confidence  that  it  would  find  a 
ready  market." 

Should  it  prove  that  this  serpentine  can  be  afforded  at  a  cheaper 
rate  than  marble,  I  cannot  see  why  it  must  not  come  into  extensive 
use  in  all  cases  where  a  stone  of  a  dark  shade  is  preferred  ;  though 
there  will  doubtless  be  found  on  exploration,  pieces  of  various  shades. 
The  situation  of  the  quarry  so  near  the  sea  board,  and  in  proximity 
with  several  of  the  largest  towns  of  New  England,  is  an  additional 
reason  why  I  look  upon  the  discovery  as  one  of  much  promise. 

Dr.  C.  T.  Jackson  has  analysed  this  serpentine  with  the  follow- 
ing results : 

Silica,  n.(;,  ;f>  .  ^|  ; .  .  .  .  37 
Magnesia,  .  p*^  ^<;'  •  •  •  .42 
Oxide  of  Iron,  .  :,f .  <.,*  ....  2 

Water,          .      ^|      ,,  .      .         .  .15 

Loss, 4 

100 

Dr.  Jackson  suggests,  that  Epsom  salts  (sulphate  of  magnesia) 
and  carbonate  of  magnesia,  may  be  manufactured  from  this  rock:  and 
he  says  that  from  100  grains  of  the  rock  he  prepared  127  grains  of 
dry  sulphate  of  magnesia,  which,  when  crystalized,  will  form  178 
grains  of  Epsom  salts.  This  will  give,  by  decomposition  with  the 
carbonate  of  potassa  or  soda,  98  grains  of  the  common  carbonate  of 
magnesia  of  the  shops.  A  similar  suggestion  might  be  made  in  re- 
spect to  the  many  other  beds  of  serpentine  in  the  state. 

I  here  close  my  Report:  not  because  I  have  exhausted  the  mate- 
rials in  my  hands  ;  but  because  some  other  points,  which  I  would 
gladly  have  presented,  have  been  examined  by  me  too  little  to  ena- 
ble me  to  offer  any  remarks  upon  them  that  will  be  of  importance. 
I  have  been  surprised  at  the  number  of  new  objects  of  interest  and 


1838.  HOUSE— No.  52.  139 

value  that  have  continued  to  offer  themselves  to  my  attention,  up  to 
the  very  day  on  which  I  close  this  Report.  If  I  have  presented 
results  enough  to  satisfy  the  Government  that  a  re-examination  of 
our  geology  was  not  a  useless  labor,  and  that  still  farther  develope- 
ments  may  be  expected,  of  pecuniary  importance,  as  the  fruit  of  still 
farther  researches,  I  shall  be  satisfied.  And  should  they  wish  me 
to  prosecute  my  inquiries  to  a  more  mature  result,  I  shall  rejoice,  if 
a  kind  Providence  permit,  to  resume  the  labor  ;  in  the  confident 
belief,  that  whoever  contributes,  even  in  the  feeblest  measure,  to  the 
prosperity  of  our  beloved  Commonwealth,  is  indirectly  promoting 
the  welfare  of  the  whole  human  family. 

Most  respectfully  submitted, 

EDWARD  HITCHCOCK. 

Amherst  College,  April  1st,  1838. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

EARTH  SCIENCES  LIBRARY 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


LD  21-40m-l,'68 
(H7452slO)476 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


U.C.  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


